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■ m n n 30030005363370 ANNUAL REPORT O F THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE W A SH IN G T O N G O V ER N M E N T P R IN T IN G O F F IC E 1919 CO N TEN TS. (Foi complete alphabetical Index to this report, see page 231.) Page. American-Canadian Fisheries Conference............................................................... Vessels of the Department’s marine services........................................................... Vessels urgently needed for the Bureau of Lighthouses........................................ Buildings..................................................................................................................... Bureau of Standards— Industrial laboratory building........................................... Bureau of Standards— New dynamometer and altitude laboratory...................... Bureau of Fisheries— Laboratory aquarium............................................................ Housing for the Bureau of the Census...................................................................... Cooperation by the Bureau of the Census with other services and organizations. Archives building........................................................................................................ Urgent needs of the Department.............................................................................. Use of motion pictures in industry........................................................................... Pacific cable situation................................................................................................ Appropriations and expenditures............................................................................. Estimates for fiscal year ending June 30, 1921........................................................ Personnel..................................................................................................................... Superannuation and retirement............................................................................... Salaries......................................................................................................................... Transportation of families and effects of officers and employees.......................... Transporting remains of officers and employees dying abroad.............................. Printing and binding.................................................................................................. "International Price Comparisons” publication.................................................... Motor-vehicle equipment........................................................................................... Stock and shipping section.......................................................................... Department library..................................................................................................... Division of Supplies.................................................................................................... State fair exhibits....................................................................................................... Liberty loans............................................................................................................... Contributions............................................................................................................... Employees’ Relief Association.................................................................................. Purchase of Dutch Harbor, Alaska........................................................................... Abolition of the Official Register.............................................................................. Work of the Solicitor’s Office..................................................................................... Development of waterways........................................................................................ Industrial Board.......................................................................................................... Industrial Cooperation Service.................................................................................. Waste-Reclamation Service................................................................................ Introduction of new fish food by the Bureau of Fisheries..................................... Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce........................................................... Unprecedented totals for American foreign trade........................................... Letters of appreciation show practical results accomplished......................... Period of readjustment in commercial-attaché service................................... Activities of attachés in Europe........................................................................ 3 8 9 12 13 15 17 17 18 19 19 19 21 21 22 36 42 46 47 58 58 59 63 63 64 65 65 65 66 66 66 67 67 67 67 68 69 70 73 76 77 78 78 79 CONTENTS. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce—Continued. Page. Results attained by far-eastern offices.................................................................. 82 Work of attachés in Latin America....................................................................... 83 Usefulness of attaché service clearly demonstrated............................................ 84 Vital work accomplished by trade commissioners.............................................. 85 District and cooperative offices............................................................................. 87 Work in connection with Latin America............................................................. 88 Promotion of trade with Far East......................................................................... 91 Establishment of Russian division....................................................................... 92 Extraordinary demand for commercial information........................................... 93 Division of statistics............................................................................................... 94 Original research and compilation of foreignstatistics........................................ 97 Division of foreign tariffs....................................................................................... 98 Editorial division.................................................................................................... 98 Recommendations................................................................................................... 99 National Bureau of Standards...................................................................................... 102 Weights and measures............................................................................................ 103 Electricity............................................................................................................... 106 Public utilities........................................................................................................ 108 Radium.................................................................................................................... no Heat......................................................................................................................... in History of the production of optical glass by the Bureau of Standards........ 113 Light........................................................................................................................ 115 Chemistry................................................................................................................ 118 Materials.................................................................................................................. 119 Aeronautical instruments...................................................................................... 122 Metals....................................................................................................................... 122 New industrial laboratory..................................................................................... 124 Ceramics................................................................................................................... 125 The bureau and industrial progress...................................................................... 126 Bureau of the Census..................................................................................................... 128 Current and completed work on statutory inquiries.......................................... 128 Electrical industries........................................................................................ 128 Transportation by water................................................................................. 129 Shipbuilding................................................................................................... 129 Religious bodies.............................................................................................. 129 Vital statistics.................................................................................................. 130 Financial statistics of cities........................................................................... 131 General statistics of cities........................................................................... 131 Financial statistics of States.......................................................................... 131 Cotton and cotton seed.................................................................................. 132 Stocks of leaf tobacco..................................................................................... 132 Official Register............................................................................................... 132 Special and miscellaneous lines of work.............................................................. 132 Marriage and divorce................................................................................... 132 Special censuses of population...................................................................... 133 Statistics of fats and oils.............................................................. United States life tables................................................................................. 133 Special investigation of influenza epidemic................................................ 133 International Statistical Yearbook................................................................ 134 Statistical directory of State institutions..................................................... 134 Searching of census records to determine ages............................................ 134 Miscellaneous information supplied other governmental agencies and outside organizations................................................................................... 134 CONTENTS. O Bureau of the Census— Continued. PareWar work.............................................................................................................. 135 Census of materials and commodities for use of war agencies............... 135 Census of commercial greenhouses............................................................. 135 Work done for Provost Marshal General.................................................... 136 Determination of ages of registrants........................................................... 136 Liberty-Loan work....................................................................................... 136 Compilation of statistics relative to foreign countries for peace con ference....................................................................................................... 136 Information for United States Shipping Board......................................... 136 Miscellaneous war work.............................................................................. 136 Members of force enlisted and drafted into military and naval services.. 137 Publications issued............................................................................................. 137 Preparations for the Fourteenth Census........................................................... 138 Fourteenth Census law................................................................................. 138 Joint advisory committee of American Statistical and Economic Asso ciations...................................................................................................... 139 Field force..................................................................................................... 139 Office force.................................................................................................... 141 Preparation of schedules, etc...................................................................... 142 Encumbrances on homes and farms........................................................... 142 Outlying possessions.................................................................................... 143 Mechanical equipment................................................................................ 143 Bureau of Fisheries..................................................................................................... 145 General considerations....................................................................................... 145 Planting the waters............................................................................................. 146 Humpback salmon in Maine.............................................................................. 146 Rescue of stranded food fishes........................................................................... 147 Loss of a Pacific salmon hatchery..................................................................... 147 Relations with the States in fish-cultural work.............................................. 148 Biological investigation of fishes........................................................................ 148 Shellfish investigations....................................................................................... 149 Use of fishes in controlling mosquitoes............................................................. 150 Increased utilization of aquatic products......................................................... 151 New sources of aquatic leather.......................................................................... 131 Alaska fisheries service................................................... 152 Alaska fur-seal service........................................................................................ 153 Alaskan seal herd................................................................................................ 155 Marketing products of the seal islands............................................................. 155 Minor fur-bearing animals of Alaska................................................................. 157 Fishery legislation needed................................................................................. 158 Bureau of Lighthouses............................................................................................... 159 Cooperation with Navy and War Departments............................................... 159 Aids to navigation............................................................................................... 159 Vessels................................................................................................................... 161 Lighthouse depots............................................................................................... 162 Improvement of apparatus and equipment..................................................... 163 Personnel............................................................................................................. 164 Saving of life and property................................................................................ 164 Administration..................................................................................................... 164 Special legislation needed.................................................................................. 163 Appropriations for special works............................................................... 167 6 CONTENTS. Coast and Geodetic Survey....................................................................................... Important publications....................................................................................... F ieldw ork........................................................................................................... Needs of the Survey to better accomplish its field work................................ War work of the Coast and Geodetic Survey................................................... Need for a new building..................................................................................... Steam boat-Inspection Service.................................................................................. Organization......................................................................................................... Summary of activities and statistics................................................................. Reconstruction.................................................................... Centralization of approval of hull and boiler construction............................ Examination of applicants for licenses............................................................. Boiler pressure..................................................................................................... Civil service for the supervising inspectors. 1.................................................. Bureau of Navigation................................................................................................. World’s tonnage................................................................................................... Main maritime facts............................................................................................ Maritime problem............................................................................................... Subdivision of hulls............................................................................................ Shipping commissioners..................................................................................... Navigation receipts............................................................................................. Radio communication......................................................................................... International Radiotélégraphie Conference..................................................... Load line, measurement, bulkheads................................................................. Enforcement of navigation laws........................................................................ Motor boats........................................................................................................... Conclusion.................................................................................................................... Need for a unified Government commercial organization.............................. Appendixes: A. Vessels for the United States Lighthouse Service— Urgent necessity for replacement of vessels worn out and destroyed..................................... B. The dogfish campaign and controversy, and the increased consumption of food fishes............................................................................................... I ndex ........................................................................................................................... Page. 168 168 170 173 180 181 182 192 183 184 184 185 185 186 188 189 192 193 194 195 195 196 198 199 200 201 202 202 207 213 231 ANNUAL REPORT OF T H E SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Department oe Commerce, O ffice of the S ecretary , Washington, October 30, 1919. To the President : I have the honor to submit herewith my seventh annual report, covering the operations and condition of the Department during the fiscal year which ended June 30, 1919, and tracing in a general way its operations to October 1 of the present year. Recommendations have hitherto been often made respecting the inadequate subsistence allowance for Department employees when traveling. Force is added to these by present prices. It has always been wrong to require Government officers when traveling to pay out of their own pockets part of the cost of the public work they do. The situation is worse to-day. This in justice can not be too speedily corrected, either by increasing the subsistence allowances or by authorizing some flexibility in the matter under the direction of the Secretary. It has been heretofore pointed out that the Bureau of Standards may and does send its representatives to meetings and conven tions at public expense. The law especially permits this. It does not, however, grant a like privilege to the representatives of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Bureau of Fisheries, the Bureau of the Census, and other services. The same obligation and usefulness exists as regards this matter in connection with the work of all services. There is no reason why one bureau should be preferred to others. The privilege should be extended to all alike. Your attention is particularly asked to Appendix B, giving in detail the record of the efforts of the Bureau of Fisheries to intro duce new foods, in connection with statements that have been made in Congress respecting this work. The successful work of 7 8 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. this service in developing the use of existing aquatic foods and in introducing new ones has been stopped because one part of its work was confused with another part which has no relation to the matter. It has been thought best, therefore, to make the whole record clear in this report. American-Canadian Fisheries Conference. The appointment of the American-Canadian Fisheries Confer ence and its general purpose were referred to in my annual report for last year (p. 7). Some of the questions that came before the conference are as old as the American Republic, others are of comparatively recent origin; and they differ greatly in national and international importance. Some of the questions were satisfactorily disposed of by executive action of the two countries, some can be settled only by treaty and others by legislation, and at least one was left for fuller consideration at a more auspicious time. During the course of the inquiries conducted, action was taken as follows in the settlement of pending questions, or as affecting the fishery relations of the two countries: t . The Canadian Government, by order in council, prohibited net fishing in Lake Champlain and thus gave to fish in the Quebec portion of the lake the same protection that was already afforded in New York and Vermont. 2. The Canadian Government, by order in council, modified the provisions of the modus vivendi so as to accord fuller facilities to American fishing vessels using Canadian ports and harbors. 3. The United States Government, by order of the Department of Commerce, permitted Canadian fishing vessels (and the fishing vessels of other nations acting with the United States in the prosecution of the war) to enter United States ports from the fishing grounds and clear for the high seas, this authority, how ever, like that granted by the Canadian Government in extension of the modus vivendi, being a war measure. 4. The United States Government, by order of the Department of Commerce, removed discriminatory navigational regulations applying to Canadian fishing vessels passing through the terri torial waters of Alaska to and from the fishing grounds on the high seas. A treaty covering the subject of reciprocal port privileges for the fishing vessels of the United States and Canada is pending. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 9 Legislation is before Congress to restrict the use of lobster wellsmacks by citizens of the United States in waters off the Canadian coast when there is a close time on lobster fishing in Canada, but no affirmative action has been taken on the measure. Recommendations have been made to the respective Govern ments in regard to the protection of the Pacific halibut and the protection of sturgeons, and action thereon is pending. The international protection of whales, which the conference regarded as deserving careful attention, was recommended for considera tion at a later date. The protection and rehabilitation of the sockeye salmon fisheries in the contiguous waters of the State of Washington and the Province of British Columbia, perhaps the most important subject considered by the conference, was covered by a comprehensive system of regulations recommended for the adoption of the two countries. A treaty covering this subject was signed by the representatives of Great Britain, Canada, and the United States on September 2, 1919. Vessels of the Department’s Marine Services. The steamer Surveyor, the only vessel especially designed and constructed for the work of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, went into the Navy a month after completion. The ship returned to the Survey with the honor of having assisted in disabling, on May 17, 1918, the German submarine U-39, which sank the Lusi tania. She is now at her post of duty in Alaska and there pro vides for the first time a vessel adequate to the vast and difficult work of surveying those dangerous waters, the scene of so many disastrous wrecks. The Surveyor alone, indeed, is not sufficient for the task of covering the 26,000 miles of coast to be surveyed in Alaska. She will be assisted by other vessels which the Navy has turned over for that purpose, namely, the Sialia, the Natoma, and the Wenonah. Even with this equipment, now for the first time available, it will be long years before the waters of Alaska will be so well charted that they can be traversed in all parts with confidence. Great as the development of Alaska has been, it has been held back, as every navigator of those waters knows, by the failure of the country heretofore to visualize the size of thé task of surveying its shores. We have waited until a sad series of wrecks, with their accompanying losses of life and property, have shocked us into activity in work which should have been adequately undertaken decades ago. IO REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. For the first time launches designed and built for the special duty have been provided for the wire-drag work of this service, and with these and two others which the Navy Department turned over to us under your Executive order of May 24, 1919, we are now able to carry on this important work in Alaska with more effectiveness. It is strange that in order to do a great duty of peace we should have to depend upon supplies assembled for war. It does not reflect credit upon our judgment and foresight that this should be so, but it is well to be thankful for what we have without worrying as to the way in which it came. The fact is that the Coast and Geodetic Survey has some vessels for service and a few launches for wire-drag work and that if sufficient funds are provided for their use and for the necessary field and office forces and equipment, the service is in a position to give assurance to our commerce and navigation of safety in all our waters such as it never had before. On July 1, 1919, the Navy Department returned to the Bureau of Lighthouses 47 lighthouse tenders and 4 light vessels, trans ferred to that department for war uses by your Executive order of April 11, 1917. This Service has also acquired two small vessels (Cosmos and Poinsetiia) from the Navy Department and during the year built two small tenders (Elm and Pine). Six lighthouse vessels have recently been lost: Diamond Shoal Light Vessel No. 71 was sunk by enemy submarine on August 6, 1918; Cross Rip Light Vessel No. 6 was destroyed by the ice in February, 1918; while in the shipyard awaiting repairs necessitated by damages from ice, the 35 Foot Channel Light Vessel No. 45 was burned on March 3, 1918; Relief Light. Vessel No. 51 was sunk on Cornfield Point light vessel station by Standard Oil Co.’s barge on April 24, 1919; the tender Gardenia., after 40 years of valuable service, was condemned on March 1, 1917, as was Bush Bluff Light Vessel No. 97 on October 23, 1918, after 43 years of sendee. The commandant of the fifth naval district, in his formal letter of June 30, 1919, returning some vessels of the Lighthouse Service to this Department, says: The district commandant wishes to use this opportunity to express his high appre ciation of the cordial cooperation of the Lighthouse Service in the solution of many problems arising during the period when they were under N avy control. The Light house Service has responded quickly and efficiently to every demand made upon them by the naval district. The services of the lighthouse vessels were of immense value in the laying of submarine-defense nets and, after the armistice, in removing those nets. This was a task which would hardly be possible of accomplishment with out the assistance of the lighthouse vessels. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. II The Navy Department has also turned over to the Bureau of Fisheries four scout patrol boats, two of which will be used as patrol boats in southeastern Alaskan waters and two for fish-cul tural work. Four vessels, loaned by this bureau to the Navy Department during the war, have been returned. The Roosevelt was condemned and sold in early July of this year. The bureau purchased the Eider, formerly a deep-sea halibut vessel, for use as a tender between the Pribilof Islands and Alaskan Peninsula. The work of the motor-vessel fleet of the Bureau of Navigation has been greatly increased because of the admirable working arrangement made with the Treasury Department, whereby such boats enforce not only the navigation and motor-boat laws, but the internal-revenue tax laws also applying to motor vessels. By this arrangement the Department has furnished during the fiscal year the motor vessels Kilkenny and Tarragon, with their officers and crews, and the Internal Revenue Bureau of the Treas ury Department supplied the sum of $5,000 as a part contribution toward the cost of fuel for the vessels, and paid also the salary of one officer. Date in the year the motor vessel Dixie, belonging to this serv ice, was restored by the Navy, and in addition two other vessels, the Siwash and Psyche II, were turned over by them, so that the "service will have during the current fiscal year five good motor vessels. The record of the past year shows the same satisfactory results as in previous years, but the number of vessels was less because the Dixie was in the Navy. The mitigated fines and taxes collected as a result more than paid for the service. The work done for the Treasury resulted in the collections of large sums that would otherwise have been lost to‘'sight, and was fully satisfactory to the officers of that Depart ment. It is proposed in the next calendar year to station the Siwash to cover the coast from New York east, the Kilkenny to patrol from New York to Wilmington, N. C., including Delaware and Chesapeake Bays and North Carolina sounds, the Tarragon to cover South Carolina and Florida waters, the Dixie the Mississippi River and tributaries and the Gulf coast, and the Psyche II to be on the Great Lakes. Full operation of these vessels in these areas will be contingent upon the funds available for their use. It can not be, however, emphasized too often that the work done by these patrol boats in enforcing the navigation laws in connection 12 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. with vessels plying our rivers, bays, sounds, and the inland waters along our coasts insures safety to navigation both for large and small vessels, and collects taxes which otherwise would not be collected, in such a way as to cost the Nation nothing, because the penalties which are imposed for violations, together with the taxes gathered, more than cover the cost of the boats and their repairs, maintenance, and operation. The Department had the following vessels in its marine service on October i, 1919: Service. In op eration. N ot in opera tion. Being built. Sold. B ought. T urned over by N avy. Loaned R eturned by Total. to N avy. N avy. Coast and Geodetic I *5 15 Bureau of NavigaB ureau of houses: Light 47 54 63 , B ureau of F ish eries.. T o ta l................. 143 1 4 1 „■ 52 54 «3 63 60 137 «»One sunk. This is exclusive of 2 vessels loaned to the Coast and Geodetic Survey by the Philippine Government and of 54 motor boats of all sizes operated by the Bureau of Fisheries, and a large number of launches used at the various stations of the Lighthouse Sendee. Incidentally it is worth mentioning that the steamer Surveyor, being constructed with that in mind, was ready without a day’s delay to enter the naval service. Her successors will be similarly designed and built. It should be the case that every vessel of every maritime sendee of the Government should be designed so that if needed for the national defense they would be ready with out alteration to do their special part. Such is the definite plan of this Department in the vessels that it builds, and it takes no small pride in the contribution that its ships, small as they are, rendered the national cause. Vessels Urgently Needed for the Bureau of Lighthouses. In the operation of the Lighthouse Service, covering 47,300 miles of general coast line and rivers, there are at present employed 54 lighthouse tenders and 63 light vessels, 1x7 in alt. To maintain REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 13 this number 2 tenders and 2 light vessels should be built each year, and recommendations and estimates submitted yearly have emphasized this fact. Since 1910 the number of aids to navigation has increased from 11,660 to 16,075, a total increase of 4,415, or 38 per cent. This increase has added greatly to the work of the tenders, so that the present number has become inadequate to maintain the service as required in the interests of navigation. There has also been an unusual number of casualties to vessels recently, 6 vessels having been lost, or condemned, as before stated. As a result of careful study of the matter, it has been found that within the next five years 18 light vessels and 10 tenders should be replaced, and funds should be provided now for 17 of these vessels most urgently needed. On May 15, 1919, in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Rep resentatives, request has been made for a provision authorizing the construction or purchasing and equipping lighthouse tenders and light vessels for the Lighthouse Service of $5,000,000. (See Appendix A.) Buildings. The buildings occupied by the Department of Commerce are: 1. Commerce Building, Nineteenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. 2. Bureau of Fisheries Building, Sixth and B Streets SW., and new adjoining fishery products laboratory. 3. Coast and Geodetic Survey Building, New Jersey Avenue near B Street SW., directly opposite the House of Representatives Office Building, and new adjoining chart, instrument, and archives building. 4. The Bureau of Standards, Pierce Mill Road, near Connecti cut Avenue, is housed in 13 principal buildings and 7 minor build ings, 5 of the latter being temporary structures. The fishery products laboratory had its rise in the necessity of developing under war conditions, as rapidly and broadly as pos sible, additional food supplies. Funds for the building were provided from the appropriation for the national security and defense. This laboratory is unique and its operations are expected to have a great and beneficial effect upon the fish industries and upon the food supplies obtained from them. The new building for the Coast and Geodetic Survey, for which provision was made from the fund for the national security and 14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. defense, though long delayed in its construction by the difficulty of securing the necessary materials during the war and since its close, is completed and its equipment in place. It was none too soon to meet the vastly increased demands for charts and service arising from the great increase in our merchant marine. If it is considered that to this well-known growth there was added also during the war an immensely increased demand for charts for the Navy, it will be clear that this service was called upon for an enormous expansion of its work at a time when a very large portion of its staff was absent, serving either in the Army or Navy at home and abroad, and when most of its vessels were taken from their regular duties to do naval work. It was only by untiring efforts, with equipment not intended for any such emergency, that sufficient charts were ready for the vessels as they were wanted. Fortunately, the crisis was met by new equipment, procured from war funds, without which the situation would have been serious. The new Harris automatic press was put into operation on January 7, and immediately made possible the mechanical production of charts in sufficient numbers to meet the need. The service is now better equipped than at any time in its history for the rapid production of charts, so far as its mechanical appliances are concerned The new building for the first time provides fireproof protection for the valuable records of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, which cover a period of over 100 years and represent an actual cash outlay of many millions of dollars. These two buildings, in common with several erected at the Bureau of Standards, though built during and for the war, were so designed as to be equally useful and effective in peace. Every dollar of their cost is an investment, and not an expense, and will be permanently productive. Land for a new building was acquired for what was then the Department of Commerce and Labor under the act of May 30, I9°8 (35 Stat., 545), and, by the act of June 25, 1910 (36 Stat., 698), the Secretary of the Treasury was directed to prepare de signs and estimates for a fireproof building to occupy the new site. On March 3, 19x3, the plans for the proposed building were approved by my predecessor. Since that time three bureaus of the former Department have been transferred to the Department of Labor; one has gone to the Federal Trade Commission; two of the present services were omitted from the plans. The new REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 15 building, when redesigned, should be made to accommodate the office, the lithographing establishment with its accessories, the drawing room, and the instrument shop of the Coast and Geo detic Survey, and the administrative offices, and, if practicable, the laboratory of the Bureau of Fisheries. When this is done the property on Capitol Hill, adjoining the Public Health Service, opposite the House Office Building and near the Capitol itself, now occupied by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, could be used for other Government purposes, and in like manner the buildings now occupied by the Bureau of Fisheries will become available for other uses. The new buildings erected in connection with these two services are so designed as to be useful in other connections. Five of the eight services of the Department, as well as the divi sions of the Secretary’s Office, are housed in the Commerce Building. The normal growth of these services, which are the Bureaus of the Census, Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Navi gation, Dighthouses, and the Steamboat-Inspection Service, will overcrowd the building before the new one can be constructed. During the present year it has been necessary to house the divi sion of statistics of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com merce in the building occupied by the Council of National Defense. The annual rental of the Commerce Building is $65,500. This is at the rate of $0,358 per square foot, gross. The lease of the building was renewed on July 1, 1919, for five years. During the pendency of this new lease the proposed Commerce Building should be redesigned and constructed, so as to be occupied by or before the lease terminates. In addition we are now paying an annual rental of $1,225 for 4,900 square feet of storage space. The comments heretofore made respecting the unfitness of the buildings occupied by the Coast and Geodetic Survey and by the Bureau of Fisheries are renewed. Reference is made to pages 10 and 11 of my annual report for 1918 and pages 218 to 220 of my annual report for 1917. Bureau of Standards— Industrial Laboratory Building. The great demands placed upon the bureau by the Government’s war program made it necessary, early in the year, to build a larger laboratory building to house the work along the lines of structural materials and industrial research and related subjects. I6 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The building is four stories, including basement, and has a front age of 351 feet and depth of 166 feet. The main wings are 62 feet wide and the extensions 105 feet, forming an E-shaped ground plan. The entire center wing is of special construction to provide for large testing machines. The central part is open from basement to third floor, with galleries surrounding the open well at first and second floor levels. The central well will ultimately be occupied by large vertical testing machines and the galleries by smaller testing machines. The two vacant spaces included in the E form of building have one-story courts covered by concrete roofs, each lighted by three large skylights. Directly north of this building, separated from it by a driveway, is the new, one-story kiln building, 50 by 350 feet, which houses in its basement the heating plant for these two buildings. The end walls are connected with the industrial laboratory building by a brick wall, which contains an open archway for a driveway, so that the two buildings are in effect one large unit. In the west extension is housed the section on cement, concrete, and building stone. It is fully provided with all necessary equip ment for carrying out the research studies in this line, as well as attending to the large demands for routine tests of cement and concrete. Space is also provided for chemical research in the manufacture of cement. On the second floor are the laboratories and offices of the section on lime, magnesite, and gypsum, these branches being similar in character to the cement work. Various portions of the building are occupied by the sections on clay products and optical glass. They occupy the entire west court, which is equipped with special grinding machinery. The several types of furnaces used in the study and manufacture of these products are installed in the kiln house. The central extension and the surrounding space for three floors are occupied by the metals-testing section, which is fully equipped to handle all physical tests of metals and metal structures, etc. The basement of the east extension will house the large horizontal Emery machine. When the installation of these machines is com pleted, this will be the most complete materials-testing laboratory, with machines of the largest capacity, in the world. The work in textiles, paper, leather, and rubber is housed in the east part of the building, equipped with a large chamber in which is maintained an atmosphere of constant humidity and constant REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 17 temperature and various types of machinery necessary for the manufacture and research work in these materials. On the third floor, in the central section of the building, are the laboratories for the work on lubricating oils. The east court houses a machine shop for repairing the test ing machines, preparing test specimens, and making new apparatus as required by the various lines of research. The bureau’s photographic department has a complete labora tory in the center wing on the third floor and is equipped to handle a large range of photographic work, from blue printing to the making of moving pictures. Space is also allotted for a museum and display room to exhibit the various products and specimens of work accomplished, for a general library of books and periodicals dealing with industrial subjects, and for a lunch room and kitchen required to serve meals to the employees of the building. Bureau of Standards— New Dynamometer and Altitude Laboratory. The temporary wooden buildings, in which the altitude and dynamometer laboratories have been housed for the last year and a half, have now been replaced by a permanent structure of brick and concrete. This building has a rectangular floor plan meas uring 50 by 150 feet. Bureau of Fisheries— Laboratory Aquarium. I have twice called attention to the need of a laboratory aqua rium for the Bureau of Fisheries. (See pp. 12-14 of my annual report for 1917, and p. n of my report for 1918.) The prevailing cost of food is a continued, forceful argument in favor of the erec tion of this building. It is true, of course, that in those features common to aquaria, the institution would be a source of education as well as of general popular interest, as are all of the famous aquaria. This, while valuable, is, however, not the essential purpose on which stress should be laid. Most important is the use of the aquarium as a laboratory for selecting and developing fishes as food, for their definite cultivation as food-producing animals, for treating this whole side of the animal kingdom with the same study and care as regards its possible service to mankind as is given to breeding cattle and sheep as producers either of dairy products 140261—19----2 i8 REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OP COMMERCE. or of meat and of wool and leather. It does not reflect special credit upon our intelligence that, while doing so much and so well upon certain phases of animal industry, we neglect, indeed leave entirely untouched, another phase of which we know only that great possibilities exist which we have not tried to develop. Long ago the Bureau of Fisheries established the fact that an acre of water on the farm could be made as productive of food as an acre of land. We have agricultural colleges dealing with the land acre and a great Government department ably cooperating with them. The water acres of the world are more in extent than are those of the land, and we are blest as a Nation with possibili ties for aquatic life along our coasts and in our Great Lakes and streams such as is given to no other people of the world, yet we have not a single such station as is proposed,wherein, at an invest ment less than many an agricultural college has cost, we may study an even greater extent of food-producing possibilities. The experience of the Bureau of Fisheries has shown that he would be very rash who would put limits to what our water areas could do in supplying food of many kinds. To argue from the past in this matter is to argue from times of ignorance, for within the last five years many fishes have become objects of common food, of which men knew hardly at all, and this process in many respects is capable of what seems unlimited extension. Whatever the cause of the high price of food, its effect should be to make men eagerly study how food can be made to cost less, and that is what is now proposed. Housing for the Bureau of the Census. The Bureau of the Census will be housed during the census pe riod, which began on July i, 1919, in building “ D ,” at Four-and-ahalf Street and Missouri Avenue. The offices of the Director, of the division of manufactures, and of those portions of the service which are not specifically engaged upon the decennial census remain in the Commerce Building. The other branches have already been transferred to the new quarters and the force therein is being rapidly enlarged to cope with the work of the coming census. A clerical force of about 4,000 maximum will be em ployed in Washington on this work, and a great deal of space will be required for the many machines that will be used in tabulating the results of the census, and for storage for the millions of sched- REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 19 ules containing the data gathered by the field force and the 300,000,000 or more cards which will be used in tabulating the population and agricultural statistics. Cooperation by the Bureau of the Census With Other Services and Organizations. The Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Education, De partment of the Interior, are cooperating in taking the census of Alaska for 1920. The schedules, blanks, and other supplies have already been sent and work will begin immediately. A conference was held between the Director of the Census, the chief statistician for manufactures of that bureau, and members of the National Industrial Conference Board of Boston and the National Association of Manufacturers, in order to insure the inclusion in the manufactures schedules of such inquiries as will be helpful and beneficial to industry. Schedules satisfactory to the industries and the bureau are being prepared. The Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines are cooper ating in the compilation of information relative to the census of mines and quarries, in order to prevent duplication of work. Archives Building. It is earnestly to be hoped that the archives building, a design for which was authorized by the public buildings act of March 4, 1913, may be promptly constructed. The Department of Com merce will need not less than 85,000 cubic feet of space therein, with such additional room as will provide for ready accession and constant use of the records of this Department, dating back to the beginnings of the Government. Urgent Needs of the Department. Among the urgent needs of the Department are : 1. The provision of vessels for the Lighthouse Service, to which reference is made on preceding pages and in Appendix A. 2. The provision of funds to continue the work of the Light house Service throughout the current fiscal year. The funds thus far appropriated are not sufficient, in view of necessary official in creases of wages in other services, to carry the work of the Service much beyond the opening of the coming calendar year. 3. A building at the Bureau of Standards for a suitable power plant as recommended in my last annual report (p. 14). 20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 4. A laboratory aquarium for the Bureau of Fisheries, treated earlier in this report. 5. A Government-owned building to house all the services of the Department, as recommended previously in this report. 6. An additional Assistant Secretary of Commerce to assist in the administration and supervision of the greatly increased work of the Department. 7. Special attention is invited to the recommendation under the title Steamboat-Inspection Service that the supervising inspectors of that important bureau be placed under the classified civil service. A number of the urgent needs of the Department mentioned in my last report have already been met. Among these are: 1. The enlargement of the funds and the organization of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce and a small but insuf ficient provision for more commercial attachés. The matter of proper payment for their clerks is still untouched. 2. Through the transfer of five vessels from the Navy the more urgent needs of the Coast Survey in this connection have been for the present met, and by the transfer of launches from the Navy the need for wire-drag launches in the Coast Survey is partly covered. Following a suggestion made upon the floor of the House of Representatives by the former chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Swagar Sherley, an effort was made with your approval to secure two special surveying steamers, similar in type to the Surveyor, from the United States Shipping Board, Emergency Fleet Corporation. The former chairman of the Shipping Board cooperated actively in the matter. A t this writing, however, the subject is held up pending the discussion of certain legal questions, and its outcome is uncertain. Mean while the two vessels are greatly needed for deep-sea surveying, which can not be carried on upon any sufficient or properly eco* nomical scale without them. 3. An additional clerical force has been provided for the field work of the Steamboat-Inspection Service. An additional appro priation provided by the deficiency bill now pending may re lieve the difficult situation in which the Coast and Geodetic Survey found itself by reason of the inadequate pay and the in sufficient number of its draftsmen. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 21 4. Provision was duly made for the census of 1920 and for hous ing the force necessary for that work. 5. An assistant has been provided for the Secretary of Com merce. In the above way five out of eight urgent needs of the Depart ment mentioned in my last report on pages 13 and 14 have in some measure received care. Use of Motion Pictures in Industry. Developments during the year confirmed the opinion that motion pictures can be made an important factor in governmental foreigntrade promotion. Experimental work initiated and carried on in China by Commercial Attaché Julean Arnold has been so success ful that it has been impossible to supply films enough to meet the demands. It is a significant fact that the Chinese are keenly inter ested in films showing quantity production in American industry. There has, however, been no appropriation available for carrying on this work on a suitable scale. Such films as could be obtained without expense from interested and far-sighted firms were sent to Mr. Arnold, who got such distribution as he could through cham bers of commerce and other bodies. The success attained in this way indicates what could be accomplished with sufficient funds to carry on the work on a broad scale in all promising fields. The case for the motion picture as a means of promoting our foreign trade in foreign countries was presented at a special hearing on March 1, 1919, before the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, when attention was called especially to the fact that the value of this means of trade promotion had been proved, and that other Governments were already using it. Reference is made to House resolution 571, Sixty-fifth Congress, third session, and to the report of hearings on moving pictures as a means of commercial promotion. Pacific Cable Situation. Existing facilities for transmitting cable messages across the Pacific Ocean are far from sufficient to meet the commercial demand. Chambers of commerce, business houses, and various commercial organizations have presented constant complaints of injurious delays, requesting that some remedy be applied adequate to meet the very unfortunate situation that exists. 22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The delays vitally impair the effectiveness of our foreign trade and have obliged business houses to undertake unusual and ex pensive expedients in order to transact their business at all. We are in this important respect at a serious disadvantage compared with other commercial nations. Prices are often quoted and options given subject to acceptance within a given time, but in many cases when replies accepting quotations were delivered promptly to the cable they did not arrive in time to complete the transaction. There have, from this and similar reasons, been heavy losses in American export and import trade. The subject has been one of careful study and of keen interest. On July 3, 1919, a report representing the joint views of the Bureau of Standards, the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com merce, and the then existing Industrial Cooperation Service was submitted to the Senate in connection with Senate bill No. 1651. It is earnestly to be hoped that steps may be taken which will provide another cable under American control to the Far Fast, for to-day the United States is at a disadvantage in doing business with the Orient as compared with other countries. Appropriations and Expenditures. The itemized statement of the disbursements from the con tingent fund of the Department of Commerce and the appropria tion for “ General expenses, Bureau of Standards,” for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, required to be submitted to Congress by section 193 of the Revised Statutes of the United States; the itemized statement of expenditures under all appropriations for propagation of food fishes during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, required by the act of Congress approved March 3, 1887 (24 Stat., 523) ; and a statement showing travel on officiai business by officers and employees (other than special agents, inspectors, and employees who, in the discharge of their regular duties, are re quired to travel constantly) from Washington to points outside of the District of Columbia during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, as required by the act of Congress approved May 22, 1908 (35 Stat., 244), will be transmitted to Congress in the usual form. The table following shows the total amount of all appropria tions for the various bureaus and services of the Department of Commerce for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Legislative S u n d ry civil act. act. B ureau. Office of th e Secretary — B ureau of L ighthouses. . . B ureau of th e C en su s.. . . Bureau of Foreign and f Domestic C om m erce... S te a m b o a t-In s p e c tio n Special act. 6 5 ,4 3 0 .0 0 1, 3 4 9 ; N ational se c urity and defense. $ 2 0 5 ,0 0 0 - 0 0 § 3 2 7 1 5 4 0 .0 0 $ 6 ,4 8 3 ,0 0 0 .0 0 $ 753 , 5 7 7 -8 7 2 4 0 .0 0 $ 7 4 8 ,2 9 7 .0 0 1 6 -3 5 5 5 4 ,1 2 0 .0 0 143 ; 9 3 4 - 4 0 ,0 0 0 .0 0 t; t 3 0 , 9 4 0 .0 0 107 ; 24O . 4 S $ 53 2 , 54 0 . 0 0 8 ,3 2 5 ,3 0 4 .8 7 1 6 0 ,0 0 0 .0 0 1 ,5 0 9 ,2 5 6 .3 5 8 7 9 , 1 2 0 . OO 8 5 6 ,6 7 4 .1 7 17 2 1 7 ,0 4 5 - 0 0 1 , 2 9 9 ,8 6 0 .0 0 Total. 2 7 5 ,0 0 0 - 0 0 3 2 5 ,0 0 0 - 00 7 1 2 , 7 4 0 .0 0 B ureau of N avigation___ Bureau of S ta n d a rd s........ Deficiency act. 23 7 3 6 .6 5 4 0 ,0 0 0 - 0 0 2 5 7 ,7 8 1 .6 5 1 0 5 ,0 0 0 .0 0 5 x 0 ,8 0 0 - 0 0 2 ,0 6 2 ,9 0 0 .4 8 I 6 0 , o o o - 00 1 , 3 0 1 , 3 7 9 - 60 4 7 ;1 0 4 .5 6 1 ,4 1 2 ,0 6 4 .5 6 1 0 ,4 3 9 . 60 Coast and Geodetic SurX ;3 0 4 , T o ta l....................... 4 » 5 2 5 ; 9 7 5 - 0 0 Increase of com pensation. 6 4 8 , 8 0 2 . 3 7 A llotm ent for p rinting 9 6 0 .0 0 9 ,0 l8 ,9 0 0 .0 0 1 ,0 1 5 ,2 0 8 .4 7 8 5 4 ,0 3 3 .6 5 I , 7 2 2 ,9 0 4 .5 6 17, i 3 7 » o a x . 68 6 4 8 ,8 0 2 .3 7 400, 000. OO 5 ; 174 ; 7 7 7 -3 7 9 , 4 1 8 , 9 0 0 .0 0 4 0 0 ,0 0 0 .0 0 1 , 0 1 5 , 2 0 8 .4 7 8 5 4 ,0 3 3 - 6 5 1 ,7 2 2 ,9 0 4 - 5 6 1 8 ,1 8 5 ,8 2 4 .0 5 The disbursements by the authorized disbursing officers of the Department of Commerce during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, arranged according to items of appropriation, are as follows: By Disbursing Clerk, Department of Commerce. OFFICE OF TH E SECRETARY. Salaries, Office of the Secretary, 1918.................................................... Salaries, Office of the Secretary, 1919.................................................... Contingent expenses, Department of Commerce, 1917........................ Contingent expenses, Department of Commerce, 1918........................ Contingent expenses, Department of Commerce, 1919........................ Rent, Department of Commerce, 1918.................................................. Rent, Department of Commerce, 1919.................................................. National security and defense, Industrial Board, 1919....................... National security and defense, Industrial Cooperation Service, 1919.. National security and defense, waste-reclamation work, 1919........... Total............................................................................................... 87,388. 15 167, 753. 66 3,098.20 24,458. 73 86,288. 03 5,458.34 61,404. 16 5,334. 49 10, 241. 52 4,895.89 376,321.17 BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE. Promoting commerce, Department of Commerce, 1917...................... Promoting commerce, Department of Commerce, 1918...................... Promoting commerce, Department of Commerce, 1919...................... Promoting commerce, South and Central America, 1918................... Promoting commerce, South and Central America, 1919................... Commercial attachés, Department of Commerce, 19 18 ...................... Commercial attachés, Department of Commerce, 19 19 ...................... Promoting commerce, Department of Commerce, Far East, 1919 . . . 106. 50 3, 707. 51 51,842. 73 4,342. 15 40,043. 03 922.68 3,442- 23 7, 791. 67 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 24 Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1918................................. Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1919................................. security and defense, import and export statistics, 1918... security and defense, import and export statistics, 1919.. . security and defense, commodity experts, 1919.................. security and defense, special statistical work, 1919.......... $5,959. 96 127, 773. 07 1, 767. 35 59,194- 31 20, 796. 68 10,803.80 Total................................................................................................ 338,493.67 Salaries, Salaries, National National National National bureau of stan dards. Laboratory, Bureau of Standards........................................................... Chemical laboratory, Bureau of Standards........................................... Radio laboratory....................................................................................... Equipping chemical laboratory, 1916-17.............................................. Equipping chemical laboratory, 1917-18.............................................. Salaries, 1918............................................................................................ Salaries, 1919............................................................................................ Equipment, 1917...................................................................................... Equipment, 1918..................................................................................... Equipment, 1919...................................................................................... General expenses, 1917............................................................................ General expenses, 1918............................................................................ General expenses, 1919............................................................................ Improvement and care of grounds, 1917................................................ Improvement and care of grounds, 1918................................................ Improvement and care of grounds, 1919............................................... Testing railroad scales, 1917.................................................................... Testing railroad scales, 1918.................................................................... Testing railroad scales, 1919................................................................... Testing structural material, 1917........................................................... Testing structural materials, 1918.......................................................... Testing structural materials, 1919.......................................................... Testing machines, 1918........................................................... ................ Testing machines, 1919................ .......................................................... Investigation of fire-resisting properties, 1918..................................... Investigation of fire-resisting properties, 1919...................................... High-potential investigation, 1918......................................................... High-potential investigation, 1919......................................................... Investigation public utility standards, 1917......................................... Investigation public utility standards, 1918......................................... Investigation public utility standards, 1919......................................... Investigation public utility companies, 1918-19.................................. Investigation railway materials, 1917.................................................... Investigation railway materials, 1918.................................................... Investigation railway materials, 1919.................................................... Testing miscellaneous materials, ig i8 ................................................... Testing miscellaneous materials, 1919................................................... Radio research, 1917................................................................................ Radio research, 1918................................................................................ Radio research, 1919................................................................................ Investigation of clay products, 1918...................................................... Investigation of clay products, 1919...................................................... Determining physical constants, 1917................................................... 278. Si 302. 35 28, 592. 69 3,850. 15 10, 175. 09 13,456.82 343,167.46 4,997.28 10,426.13 58,374.46 304. 65 6, 289. 73 17,343.40 486.37 1, 183. 29 4, £>72. 18 8, 588.35 11,321.11 35,220. 83 86. 74 61, 923. 56 212,166. 50 7,359. 66 26, 314. 13 2, 615. 54 21,057. 38 2, 764. 09 11,429.08 .32 4, 244. 22 44, 594. 04 38,813. 98 100. 25 3,959. 02 12,053.25 235.17 24, 706. 35 6. 57 1,455.50 18, 763. 23 2. 00 16,329. 91 102. 50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 25 Determining physical constants, 1918................................................... $406.99 Determining physical constants, 1919................................................... 4, 540. 40 Standardizing mechanical appliances, 1917......................................... 47-70 52. 52 Standardizing mechanical appliances, 1918.......................................... Standardizing mechanical appliances, 1919......................................... SiStS^S 827. 99 Color standardization, 1917..................................................................... Color standardization, 1918..................................................................... 1,036.87 Color standardization, 1919..................................................................... 8,143.04 536. 04 Investigation of optical glass, 1918........................................................ Investigation of optical glass, 1919........................................................ 70, 213. 74 81,153.82 Gauge standardization, 1917-18............................................................. Gauge standardization, 1919................................................................... 367,291.84 Military research, 1917-18....................................................................... 82,661.11 Military research, 1918-19....................................................................... 510, a n . 49 Investigation of mine scales and cars, 1918-19..................................... 10, 796. 17 1,995. 55 •Repairs, power plant, 1918.............................. '...................................... Standard materials, 1919......................................................................... 3,278.02 15, 73x. 47 Sugar standardization, 1919.................................................................... Investigation of textiles, 1919................................................................ 6,407. 06 2, 575.09 Renewal of storage batteries, 1919......................................................... Industrial research, 1919-20................................................................... 13,808.31 Equipping laboratory, 1919-20............................................................... 3, 026. 92 4,177.14 Aviation, Navy, commerce transfer, 1919........................................... Armament of fortifications, commerce transfer.................................... 58,872. 71 National security and defense, production of optical glass, 1918 . . . . 23, 645. 93 18,145. 51 National security and defense, new building, 19x8.............. National security and defense, Roberts by-product coke oven, 1918.. 22, 534. 94 National security and defense, metallurgical work, 1918.... 56,947. ox 642, 279. 89 National security and defense, industrial laboratory, 1918................ National security and defense, production of fabrics, 1918................ 24, 577. 48 National security and defense, thermite investigation, 1918. 729. 29 National security and defense, thermite investigation, 1919. 3, 45425 National security and defense, Roberts by-product coke oven, 1919. 9,972. 60 59,897. 19 National security and defense, altitude laboratory, 1919...... National security and defense, completing laboratory, 1919. 169,327. 32 National security and defense, military researches, 1919................... 59,941.04 National security and defense, industrial laboratory, 1919................. 34-86 T o ta l... ........................................................................................ 3,414,708.87 STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION SERVICE. Salaries, Office of Supervising Inspector General, 1918...................... Salaries, Office of Supervising Inspector General, 1919...................... Salaries, Steambbat-Inspection Service, 1918....................................... Salaries, Steamboat-Inspection Service, 1919....................................... Steamboat-Inspection Service, Tampa, Fla., 1918.............................. Clerk hire, Steamboat-Inspection Service, 1918.................................. Clerk hire, Steam boat-Inspection Service, 1919.................................. Contingent expenses, Steam boat-Inspection Service, 1917................ Contingent expenses, Steamboat-Inspection Service, 1918................ Contingent expenses, Steamboat-Inspection Service, 1919................ Total 742. 52 20, 089. 70 34,322. 88 507, 287. 19 505. 50 7, 757. 35 97,057. 25 6. 00 24,996. 18 112, 271. 40 8°S. °3 5- 97 26 REPORT OE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. BUREAU OP NAVIGATION. Salaries, Bureau of Navigation, 1918..................................................... Salaries, Bureau of Navigation, 1919..................................................... Salaries, Shipping Service, 1918............................................................ Salaries, Shipping Service, 1919............................................................ Clerk hire, Shipping Service, 1918........................................................ Clerk hire, Shipping Service, 1919........................................................ Contingent expenses, Shipping Service, 1918...................................... Contingent expenses, Shipping Service, 1919...................................... Enforcement navigation laws, 1917....................................................... Enforcement navigation laws, 1918....................................................... Enforcement navigation laws, 1919....................................................... Enforcement wireless-communication laws, 1918................................ Enforcement wireless-communication laws, 1919................................. Preventing overcrowding of passenger vessels, 1917............................ Preventing overcrowding of passenger vessels, 1918........................... Preventing overcrowding of passenger vessels, 1919........................... Admeasurement of vessels, 1918............................................................ Admeasurement of vessels, 1919............................................................. T o ta l............................................................................................................... bureau $i, 578. 81 33>9I9- 7I 2,333- 01 26, 232. 64 3,919- 39 42, 495- 27 1 ,341- 27 5 ,475- 00 150.00 5, 368. 24 24, 067. 78 9, 646. 13 38,198.26 2. 00 2,478. 61 15,413- 08 910. 22 1,972. 70 215,502.12 o p p is h e r ie s . Fish hatchery, Bozeman, Mont.............................................................. Fish hatchery, Cape Vincent, N. Y ., 1918........................................... Fish hatchery, Edenton, N. C., 1918.................................................... Fish hatchery, Puget Sound, Wash....................................................... Fish hatchery, S. C .................................................................................. Fish hatchery, W yo................................................................................. Fish hatchery, Cold Spring, Ga............................................................. Fish hatchery, St. Johnsbury, V t.......................................................... Fish hatchery, Rhode Island................................................................. Trout hatchery, Berkshire, Mass............................................................ Marine biological station, Florida.......................................................... Biological station, Mississippi River Valley......................................... Repairs, steamer Fish Hawk, 1918......................................................... Building and improvements, fur-seal islands, Alaska......................... Investigating damages to fisheries......................................................... Salaries, Bureau of Fisheries, 1918........................................................ Salaries, Bureau of Fisheries, 1919............... Miscellaneous expenses, 1917................................................................. Miscellaneous expenses, 1918................................................................. Miscellaneous expenses, 1919................................................................. Protecting seal and salmon fisheries of Alaska, 1918........................... _ Protecting seal and salmon fisheries of Alaska, 1919............................ Developing aquatic sources of leather, 1917-18................................... Power lighter, fur-seal islands, Alaska.................................................. National security and defense, food-fish supply, 1918........................ National security and defense, food-fish supply, 1919........................ National security and defense, rescuing food fish, 1918.......... National security and defense, seal-oil plant, 1918.............................. National security and defense, demonstration plant, 1919................. T otal.............................................................................................. 9. 94 4.385. 29 2, 500. 00 690. 14 245. 85 1» 469. 50 107. 10 10. 00 40. 86 1,608. 70 1,922. 66 2, 048. 74 33,442- °° 2,320. 05 671. 83 25, 812. 32 342, 567- 59 320.92 69, 293. 90 437. 152- 79 6,327. 04 100, 280. 19 1, 554- 33 38. 31 5,442. 97 30, 286. 17 7, 548- 60 19,706. 01 83, 760. 71 i, 181, 564. 51 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 27 BUREAU OP THE CENSUS. Salaries, 1918............................................................................................ Salaries, 1919............................................................................................ Collecting statistics, 1917........................................................................ Collecting statistics, 1918........................................................................ Collecting statistics, 1919........................................................................ Tabulating machines, 1918...................................................................... Tabulating machines, 1919...................................................................... Uniform nomenclature, 1919.................................................................. National security and defense, special statistical work, 1919............ $27,283.24 623,406. 16 63.45 45,418. 07 433, 665. 90 13, 614. 33 32, 444. 86 6,293.17 124, 725. 43 Total............................................................................................... 1,306,914.61 BUREAU OP LIGHTHOUSES. Aids to navigation, Alaska..................................................................... Aids to navigation, Lorain Harbor, Ohio............................................. Light station, Navassa Island, West Indies.......................................... Light station, Sand Hills, Mich............................................................. Aids to navigation, Fighting Island Channel,Detroit River, M ich.. Aids to navigation, Delaware River, Pa. and Del............................... Aids to navigation, Wash, and Oreg...................................................... Light vessels for general service............................................................. General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1917........................................ General expenses, Lighthouse .Service, 1918........................................ General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1919........................................ Salaries, Bureau of Lighthouses, 1918.................................................... Salaries, Bureau of Lighthouses, 1919.................................................... Salaries, Lighthouse Service, 1918......................................................... Salaries, Lighthouse Service, 1919......................................................... Tender, third lighthouse district........................................................... Tender for engineer, sixth lighthouse district...................................... Repairs and rebuilding aids to navigation, Gulf of Mexico................ Repairing and rebuilding aids to navigation, Atlantic coast.............. Lighthouse depot, Detroit, Mich............................................................ Nantucket Harbor Fog-Signal Station, Mass........................................ Point Boringucn Light Station, P. R .................................................... Salaries, lighthouse vessels, 1919........................................................... Salaries, keepers of lighthouses, 1919.................................................... Fifth lighthouse district, gas b u o y s...................................................... Joe Flogger Shoal Light Station, Delaware River............................... National security and defense, aids to navigation, Caribbean Sea, WW......................................................................................................... Total............................................................................................... 7. 03 61. 37 135. 06 15, 719. 39 101. 22 8,183.30 2. 16 75,790. 22 209.11 44, 286. 43 49, 360. 49 2, 792. 98 53,839. 12 202. 50 6, 296. 00 5.40 . 3.91 98. 40 20. 58 7,432. 03 4. 50 13. 20 16, 391. 14 4, 008. 78 40. 61 6. 04 23- »5 285,034.12 MISCELLANEOUS. Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 1918............... Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 1919............... 8,117. 76 234, 238. 19 Total............................................................................................... 242,355.95 Grand total 8,165,930. 99 28 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE By disbursing officers of the Lighthouse Service. Repairing and rebuilding aids to navigation, Atlantic coast............. Light vessels for general service............................................................. Oilhouses for light stations...................................................................... Dog Island Light, Me.............................................................................. Woods Hole Lighthouse Depot, Mass.................................................... Nantucket Harbor Fog Signal, Mass...................................................... Staten Island lighthouse depot, N. Y ................................................. Aids to navigation, Hudson River, N. Y .............................................. Aids to navigation, East River, N. Y ................................................... Great Salt Pond Light Station, R. I ...................................................... Aids to navigation, Delaware River, Pa. and D el............................... Joe Flogger Shoal Light Station, Delaware R iver............................... Thimble Shoal Light Station, V a........................................................... Aids to navigation, Cape Charles City, V a............................................ Aids to navigation, Chesapeake Bay, Md. and V a............................... Fifth lighthouse district gas buoys......................................................... Tender for engineer, sixth lighthouse district...................................... Aids to navigation, St. Johns River, F la .............................................. Galveston Jetty Light Station, T ex ....................................................... Aids to navigation, Mississippi River, L a ............................................. Aids to navigation, Atchafalaya Entrance, L a.................................... Repairing and rebuilding aids to navigation, Gulf of Mexico........... Aransas Pass Light Station, T ex............................................................ Navassa Island Light Station, West Indies........................................... Point Boringuen Light Station, P. R .................................................... Aids to navigation, Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio........................................ Aids to navigation, Lorain Harbor, Ohio.............................................. Aids to navigation, Conneaut Harbor, Ohio........................................ Aids to navigation, Toledo Harbor, Ohio.............................................. Aids to navigation, Huron Harbor, Ohio.............................................. Aids to navigation, Fairport Harbor, Ohio........................................... Superior Pierhead Range Lights, Wis................................................... Detroit River Lights, M ich................................... ......................•......... Aids to navigation, Fighting Island Channel, Detroit River, M ich.. Sand Hills Light Station, Mich.............................................................. Aids to navigation, Keeweenaw Waterway, Mich............................... Detroit Lighthouse Depot, Mich............................................................ Aids to navigation, St. Marys Island, Mich.......................................... White Shoal Light Station, Mich........................................................... Chicago Harbor Light Station, 111.......................................................... Manitowoc Breakwater Light Station, W is........................................... Aids to navigation, Alaska...................................................................... Cape St. Elias Light Station, Alaska..................................................... Depot for sixteenth lighthouse district.................................................. Aids to navigation, Puget Sound, Wash................................................ Kellett Bluff Light Station, Wash......................................................... Aids to navigation, Wash, and Oreg...................................................... Aids to navigation, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii............................................. National security and defense, lighthouse depot, Tompkinsville, N. Y „ 1919............................................................................................ National security and defense, aids to navigation, Caribbean Sea, I9W........................................................................................................ General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1917........................................ $124, 289. 30 3.442. S3 464.03 2, 718. 20 i, 270. 21 5>012.34 50, 624. 40 77,492.06 6,603.18 16. 62 i, 063. 81 7,920. 00 725.00 3, 524.00 i, 201. 80 39.093-37 552- 79 7,171.97 3i5-°o 18,090. 50 4, 132- 92 62,834. 59 10,445.20 151. 62 488.13 55°- 20 2,469.46 18,309. 04 321.41 3. 509- 70 995.00 x, 837. 00 13- 70 4, 639. 54 34. 253. 26 51,319. 61 7, 447. 04 640. 06 545- 55 3B957- 44 19, 859. 30 8,127. 00 103. 20 48,589.95 783- 83 35.028-75 15,671.99 7,741.91 15,26!. 96 12,658. 56 59. 789- 95 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 29 General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1918........................................ General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1919......................................... Salaries, keepers of lighthouses, 1918..................................................... Salaries, keepers of lighthouses, 1919..................................................... Salaries, lighthouse vessels, 1918........................................................... Salaries, lighthouse vessels, 1919........................................................... Salaries, Lighthouse Service, 1918......................................................... Salaries, Lighthouse Service, 1919......................................................... Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 1918................ Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 1919............... Retired pay, Lighthouse Service, 1919.................................................. $633,310. 97 2 ,436> 73°- °8 26,192. 88 1,109,101. 76 53,889. 07 1,332, 539. 92 3,925.88 363, 520. 43 7, 851. 10 365,418. 62 20,987. 65 Total................................................................................................ 7.165,538.34 By special disbursing agent, Coast and Geodetic Survey. Salaries, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1918........................................... Salaries, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1919........................................... Party expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1917.............................. Party expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1918.............................. Party expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1919.............................. Party expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey........................................ Repairs of vessels, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1918.......................... Repairs of vessels, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1919.......................... General expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1917........................... General expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 19x8........................... General expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1919........................... Pay, etc., of officers and men, vessels, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1917 .................................................................................................... Pay, etc., of officers and men, vessels, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1918 .................................................................................................... Pay, etc., of officers and men, vessels, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1919 .................................................................................................... Charts, Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1917-18........................................ Two new vessels, Coast and Geodetic Survey...................................... Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 1918............... Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 1919............... National security and defense, Department of Commerce, Coast and Geodetic Survey, new building......................................................... National security and defense, Department of Commerce, Coast and Geodetic Survey, new building, 1919................................................ National security and defense, Department of Commerce, Coast and Geodetic Survey, printing press, 1919............................................... National security and defense, Department of Commerce, Coast and Geodetic Survey, building equipment, 1919.................................... Motor-driven vessel and launches, 1919................................................ Total............................................................................................... $9, 671. 23 363,471.97 182.15 64,173. 64 266, 740. 65 476- 45 763.11 8,307. 09 44-54 25,258. 11 70,835. 82 50.00 20,663.34 105,344.83 1,253.02 - 9® 1 ,939- 5° 29,942. 41 84,991. 42 2,967. 45 11,646.96 6, 849. 56 4°> 631- 79 1,116,206.02 By special disbursing agents, Bureau of Fisheries. Miscellaneous expenses, Bureau of Fisheries, 1919.............................. Pay, officers and crews of vessels, Alaska Fisheries Service, 19 19 .... Protecting seal and salmon fisheries of Alaska, 1919........................... Marine biological station, Fla................................................................. Increase of compensation. Department of Commerce, 1919............... $24,691.92 23, 725. 45 1, 710.00 68. 24 *>000. 00 Total............................................................................................... 51. J9S- 61 30 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. By the commercial agents investigating trade conditions abroad, Department of Commerce, acting as special disbursing agents. Commercial attachés, Department of Commerce, 1918........................ Commercial attachés, Department of Commerce, 1919........................ National security and defense, Department of Commerce: Commodity experts, 1919................................................................ Import and export statistics, 1919.................................................. Promoting commerce, South and Central America, 1919................... Promoting commerce, Department of Commerce, 1918...................... Promoting commerce, Department of Commerce, 1919...................... Promoting commerce, Far East, 1919.................................................... Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 19x8............... Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 1919............... §6,227.67 111,398.65 Total............................................................................................... 322,308.58 88, 525. 8a 2, 556. 00 44, 600. 15 609.03 39,410. 78 28,915. 49 18. 76 46. 25 Warrants drawn on the Treasurer of the United States to satisfy accounts settled by the Auditor for the State and Other Departments, during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, classified according to items of appropriation : Office of the Secretary : Contingent expenses, Department of Commerce, 1917................ Contingent expenses, Department of Commerce, 1918................ Contingent expenses, Department of Commerce, 1919................. Increase of compensation, 1918....................................................... Increase of compensation, 1919....................................................... National security and defense, Industrial Board, 1919............... National security and defense, Industrial Cooperation Service, i<U9 ........................................................................... §70. 68 186. 57 4, 704. 33 7- 5° 75-67 5,637. 34 963-5* National security and defense, waste-reclamation work, 19 19 ... 820. 24 Total........................................................................................ 12,465. 85 Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce: Commercial attachés, 1918............................................................... Promoting commerce, 1918.............................................................. Promoting commerce, 1919.............................................................. Promoting commerce, South and Central America, 1918. Promoting commerce, South and Central America, 1919. National security and defense, import and export statistics, 1919. National security and defense, commodity experts, 1919........... 134.41 171.46 86.90 37-87 14-84 1,331. 98 9. 00 Total........................................................................................ x, 786. 46 Bureau of Standards: Equipment, 1917............................................................................... Equipment, 1918............................................................................... Equipment, 1919............................................................................... Gauge standardization, 1919............................................................ General expenses, 19x8..................................................................... General expenses, 1919..................................................................... High-potential investigation, 1919.................................................. Investigation of public utility standards, 1919............................. Investigation of railway materials, 1918....................................... 328. 76 14. 17 623. 83 7,712.56 75-33 5>8i5.95 41.80 403. 66 36. 68 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 31 B u rea u of S tan d ard s— C on tin u ed . M ilita ry research, 1 9 1 7 -1 8 .......................................................................... $ 2 ,6 5 7.3 1 M ilita ry research, 19 1 8 -1 9 .......................................................................... 1,0 55.52 In vestig atio n of o p tica l glass, 19 18 ......................................................... 121. 00 In vestig atio n of p u b lic u t ilit y com panies, 19 18 -19 .......................... 44. 90 Stan d ard m aterials, 1919............................................................................. 53-89 Sugar stan dard ization , 19 1 9 ................................................................................... 16.11 R ad io research, 1 9 1 7 ................................................................................................. 14.45 Salaries, 19 19 ................................................................................................... 42.22 S tan d ard izin g m ech an ical ap p lian ces, 19 1 9 ........................................ 42. 65 T estin g m achines, 19 1 9 ............................................................................................ 59.10 T estin g stru ctu ral m aterials, 19 18 ........................................................... 161.46 T estin g stru ctu ral m aterials, 19 1 9 ........................................................... 94. 41 N ational se c u rity and defen se, m eta llu rgical w o rk .......................... 42. 00 N ational se c u rity and defense, n ew b u ild in g ..................................... 97-47 N ational se c u rity and defense, produ ction of op tica l g la ss........... 3. 60 N ational se c u rity and defense, com p letin g laboratory, 1919........ 2, 595. 95 589. 09 N ational se c u rity and defense, m ilita r y researches, 19 1 9 .............. C ertified claim s— T estin g stru ctu ral m aterials, 19 1 2 .................................................. 2. 05 In vestigatio n of ra ilw a y m aterials, 19 15 ...................................... n o . 00 114.00 E q u ip m en t, 19 1 6 ................................................................................... G eneral exp en ses, 19 16 .................................................................................... x.ax T estin g railroad scales, 19 1 6 ............................................................. 6.00 T o ta l.............................................................................................. 22,977. 14 Bureau of Navigation: Refunding penalties or charges erroneously e x a cted .................... Contingent expenses, Shipping Service, 19 17................................. Contingent expenses. Shipping Service, 1918................................. Contingent expenses, Shipping Service, 1919................................. Enforcement of wireless-communication laws, 19 17...................... Enforcement of wireless-communication laws, 1918....................... Enforcement of wireless-communication laws, 1919.................. 721.63 1.94 to. 65 1. 07 2. 05 3-93 1. 35 T otal...................................................................................................... 742.62 Steamboat-Inspection Service: Clerk hire, 1919................................................................................................. Contingent expenses, 1917............................................................................. Contingent expenses, 1918.................................................................... Contingent expenses, 1919................................................................... Salaries, 1919........................................................... Steamboat-Inspection Service, Tampa, Fla., 1918.................................... Certified claims— Contingent expenses, 1916................................... T otal............................................................................................................... Bureau of Fisheries: Building and improvements, fur-seal islands, A laska................... Miscellaneous expenses, 1917.............................................................. Miscellaneous expenses, 1918.............................................................. Miscellaneous expenses, 1919.............................................................. Protecting seal and salmon fisheries of Alaska, 1917...................... Protecting seal and salmon fisheries of Alaska, 1918...................... 566.67 4a 17 200.86 354. 46 1,11 1.9 4 23.08 1. 52 2,298.70 219. 37 148.97 486. 70 r, 115.31 2. 02 282.81 32 REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Bureau of Fisheries— Continued. Salaries, 1919..................................................................................... .. Repairs to steamer F i s h lla -w k , 1918................................................. National security and defense, food-fish supply, 1918.................. National security and defense, seal-oil plant................................... Certified claims— Miscellaneous expenses, 1905...................................................... Miscellaneous expenses, 1908...................................................... Miscellaneous expenses, 1909...................................................... Miscellaneous expenses, 1910...................................................... Miscellaneous expenses, 19 1 1...................................................... Miscellaneous expenses, 1912...................................................... Miscellaneous expenses, 1916...................................................... S50. 00 340. 59 4. 37 38. 16 .88 .70 4. n 2.82 1.74 4. 97 .3 1 T o ta l.............................................................................................. 2,703. 83 Bureau of the Census: Collecting statistics, 1918...................................................................... Collecting statistics, 1919...................................................................... Salaries, 1919........................................................................................... R elief of A lice V. Houghton for injuries.......................................... 97. 25 14- 42 35. 00 900. 00 T otal...................................................................................................... 1,046.67 Coastfand Geodetic Survey: General expenses, 1917......................................................................... General expenses, 1918.......................................................................... General expenses, 1919......................................................................... Party expenses, 1917.............................................................................. Party expenses, 1918........................................................................... Party expenses, 1919........................................................................... Repairs of vessels, 1918......................................................................... Salaries, 1919........................................................................................... 1, 4 39 - 14 78. 10 6,434. 58 1,184.83 12, h i . 91 3.37 Total...................................................................................................... 21,462.27 Bureau of Lighthouses: Aids to navigation, A laska................................................................... Aids to navigation, Washington and Oregon.................................... Lighthouse tender for generalservice........................................................... Radio installation for lighthouse tender........................................... Repairing and rebuilding aids to navigation, A tlantic coast....... Tender for engineer, sixth lighthouse district................................. General expenses, 1917.................................................................................. General expenses, 1918.......................................................................... General expenses, 1919......................................................................... Salaries, Lighthouse Service, 1918..................................................... Salaries, Lighthouse vessels, 1918............................................................... Certified claims— General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1915............................ General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1916............................ Total..................................................................................................... 34. 60 175. 74 317. 56 80. 05 250.07 281. 87 x. 94 5. 98 6,447.10 25,481. 59 64, 534. 85 4. 00 1,727. 5 ° 174. 37 2, 579. 80 101,886.68 Miscellaneous: Judgments, Court of Claims, Department of Commerce............................................................................................. 3)378-66 Grand total................................................................................... 170,748.88 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 33 The following statement shows the expenditures during the fis cal year ended June 30, 1919, on account of all appropriations under the control of the Department, giving the total amounts disbursed by the various disbursing officers of the Department, and miscellaneous receipts for the same period : EXPENDITURES. B y the Disbursing Clerk, Department of Commerce, on account of salaries and expenses of the Office of the Secretary of Commerce, the Bureaus of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Navigation, Standards, Fisheries, the Census, and Lighthouses, the office of the Supervising Inspector General, Steamboat-Inspection Service, salaries and expenses of the Steamboat-Inspection Service at large, and public works of the Lighthouse and Fisheries Services (shown in detail in the first of the foregoing tables of disbursements). . . . B y the authorized disbursing officers of the Lighthouse S e rv ice . . . . B y the special disbursing agent, Coast and Geodetic S u rv e y .......... B y special disbursing agents, Bureau of Fisheries................................ B y the commercial agents of the Department investigating trade conditions abroad, as special disbtirsing agents.................................. B y warrants drawn on the Treasurer of the United States to satisfy accounts settled by the Auditor for the State and Other Depart ments......................................................................................... Printing and binding..................................................................................... T otal.............................................................................................. .. $8, 165,930.99 7,165, 538.34 1,116, 206. 02 51,195. 61 322,308. 58 170,748.88 399,961.32 17,391, 889. 74 MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS. Coast and Geodetic Survey: Sale of charts, publications, old prop erty, e tc ........................................................................................................ Bureau of the Census: Sale of publications, e tc ..................................... Bureau of Fisheries: Sale of 18,223 sealskins.......................................................................... Sale of fox and other skins................................................................... Sale of seal bones.................................................................................... Sale of old property, e tc ....................................................................... Bureau of Navigation: Tonnage ta x ............................................................................................. Navigation fees......... , ........................................................................... Navigation fines...................................................................................... From deceased passengers.................................................................... Bureau of Standards: Sale of old property, e tc ...................................... Steamboat-Inspection Service: Sale of old property, e tc ..................... Bureau of Lighthouses: Sale of old property, rentals, e tc .................... Office of the Secretary: Sale of old property, e tc ................................... T o ta l.............................................................................................................. 1 4 0 2 6 1 — 1 9 ------ 3 24,052.10 282. 00 741,197.42 67, 588. 33 2, 752. 80 11,615.66 1,265,229.23 143, 492, 19 162, 146. 50 460. 00 12. 50 31 - 55 35,372. 69 1,054. 58 2,4 55,287.55 34 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The fo llo w in g unexpended b a la n c e s of a p p r o p r ia tio n s w ere t u r n e d i n t o t h e s u r p l u s f u n d J u n e 3 0 , 1 9 1 9 , in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e a c t o f J u n e 20, 18 7 4 (1 8 S t a t . , i i o - m ) : Office of the Secretary: Salaries, Office of Secretary of Commerce, 1917...................................... S2,314. 05 Increase of compensation, Department of Commerce, 1918.................. 13,429.68 3.02 Contingent expenses, Department of Commerce, 1917......................... Bureau of the Census: Salaries, Bureau of the Census, 1917......................................................... 15,387.92 Collecting statistics, Bureau of the Census, 1917.................................... 106,140.43 Tabulating machines, Bureau of the Census, 1917................................. 495. 74 Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce: 4,155. 25 Salaries, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1917................ Commercial attachés, Department of Commerce, 1915......................... 342. 75 Commercial attachés, Department of Commerce, 1916......................... 483.03 3,365.62 Commercial attachés. Department of Commerce, 1917.......................... Promoting commerce, Department of Commerce, 19 17........................ 2,853.02 3, 799.83 Promoting commerce, South and Central America, 1917..................... Investigating cost of production, Department of Commerce, 1 9 1 7 ... 15, 075.30 Steamboat-Inspection Service: Salaries, Office of Supervising Inspector General, Steam boat-Inspec tion Service, 1917....................................................................................... 18.97 Salaries, Steamboat-Inspection Service, 1917......................................... 4,219.95 Clerk hire, Steamboat-Inspection Service, 1917..................................... 577. 59 Contingent expenses, Steamboat-Inspection Service, 1917.................. 4,597.25 Bureau of Navigation: Salaries, Bureau of Navigation, 1917......................................................... 411.97 Salaries, Shipping Service, 1917................................................................. 763.67 24. 50 Clerk hire, Shipping Service, 19 1 7 ............................................................ 7. 97 Contingent expenses, Shipping Service, 1917......................................... Admeasurement of vessels, 1917................................................................. 15. 90 Preventing overcrowding of passenger vessels, 1917.............................. 1,162. 24 Enforcement of navigation laws, 1917....................................................... 20.10 2,831. 68 Enforcement of wireless-communication laws, 19 17.............................. Bureau of Standards: Salaries, 1917........................................................................................... .'.. . 21,978.87 Equipm ent, 19 17.................................................................................................. 815.13 General expenses, 1917................................................................................. 522.22 64.33 Improvement and care of grounds, 1917................................................... Color standardization, 1917........................................................ ................ 272. 66 Determining physical constants, 19 17....................................................... 528. 38 Equipping cnemical laboratory' building, 19 16 -17................................ 327. 24 26. 61 Investigation of clay products, 19 17 ......................................................... Investigation of fire-resisting properties, 1917......................................... 78. 41 High-potential investigations, 1917........................................................... 125. 17 Investigation of public u tility standards, 19 17....................................... 297. 56 Investigation of railway materials, 1917.................................................... 106.34 Radio research, 1917............................................................................................. 756.40 Refrigeration constants, 1917....................................................................... 5 7 -7 4 Standardizing mechanical appliances, 19 17............................................ 468. 38 Testing machines, 1917................................................................................. 283. 73 Testing miscellaneous materials, 19 17.................................................... 107.08 Testing railroad scales, etc., 1917............................................................... 189. 63 Testing structural materials, 1917.............................................................. 898. 68 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Coast and Geodetic: Salaries, 1917................................................................................................... Party expenses, 1916..................................................................................... Party expenses, 1917..................................................................................... General expenses, 1917................................................................................. Pay, etc., officers and men, vessels, Coast Survey, 1917...................... Repairs of vessels, Coast Survey, 19 17...................................................... Outfitting Coast Survey steamer S u r v e y o r , 19 17 .................................... Bureau of Lighthouses: Salaries, Bureau of Lighthouses, 1917....................................................... General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1916........................................... General expenses, Lighthouse Service, 1917............................................ Salaries, keepers of lighthouses, 1917......................................................... Salaries, lighthouse vessels, 19 17................................................................ Salaries, Lighthouse Service, 1917............................................................. Staten Island and West Bank Light Station, N. Y ................................ Newark B ay beacon lights, N. J ................................................................. Cleveland Fog Signal Station, O h io .......................................................... Bureau of Fisheries: Salaries, Bureau of Fisheries, 1917............................................................. Miscellaneous expenses, Bureau of Fisheries, 19 17................................ Motor launches, Alaska fisheries service, 19 17........................................ Pay, officers and crew of vessel, Alaska fisheries service, 19 17........... Protecting seal and salmon fisheries of Alaska, 1917.............................. Fish hatchery, Gloucester, Mass., 4917..................................................... Steamer A lb a tr o s s , repairs, 1917.................................................................. Reimbursement to officers and crew of lighthouse tender M a m a n i t a . . Total 35 $5,196-86 38.15 12 , 9 4 5 - 04 63. 37 24,321. 88 1, 794. 95 626. 04 2,619.63 14,275.09 30, 592. 40 8,046.02 105, 311. 62 6,825. S3 26,027. 36 7. 19 26.37 18,913. 70 4, 792. 13 31. 26 26. 24 170. 18 2, g8r. 85 5. 25 7. 00 476,045. 10 In the last seven years the Department of Commerce has turned back unused into the Treasury the following amounts: June June June June June 30, 30, 30, 30, 30, 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 $618,970. or 347» 162. 48 247,482. 22 227,941. 92 June 30, 4918 Ju n e 30, 1919 $149,009. 51 476,045. 10 T o ta l. . . . 2,244,606.51 1 7 7 »9 9 5 - 27 There is a general impression that money appropriated means money spent. Yet here is a total of $2,244,606.51 which could have been expended for the purposes named, but was not. In business circles such action would be deemed commendable and would win confidence of financial authorities in the wisdom of the disbursing organization. The reverse is true, however, in the Government under the existing system. The inference is not drawn from such facts by appropriating committees that care has been used in expenditure and so something has been saved for the Government, but rather that the estimates were, in the first instance, extravagant and blameworthy. Almost the first ques tion asked when considering estimates is what the unexpended 36 REPORT OK THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. balance was the previous year, and it is argued that if last year a considerable balance remained less is needed for the coming year. The very economy resulting in the balance saved is made the basis for mulcting a service on its necessary expenditures in the future. This is here pointed out as one of the faults, minor but real, of the present system of appropriating funds for Government pur poses which it may be hoped a modern budget system would remove. When the writer was an officer of the City of New York a direct incentive to saving was provided by the city charter which peimitted unexpended balances to be used under the authority of the board of estimate for other work. Under such a system an executive naturally saved all he could in order to do as much work as possible with what remained. Under the pres ent Government system the temptation is direct to use as nearly as possible all of the appropriation lest one be mulcted in the coming year and have insufficient funds for necessary work. Estimates for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1921. The estimates for the fiscal year 1921 aggregate $35,318,068.40, and exceed the appropriations for the fiscal year 1920, amounting to $29,052,955, by $6,265,113.40. The estimates include an item for the Fourteenth Decennial Census amounting to $6,215,000. The estimate is submitted in this form in view of the fact that it is impossible to apportion, with any approach to accu racy, the cost of the work during the second year of the decennial census period. As the legislative, executive, and judicial act, approved March 1, 1919, carries an appropriation of $15,000,000 for Fourteenth Census work, this will make a total of $21,215,000 required for the Fourteenth Decennial Census period. The total amount requested in last year’s estimate for the Fourteenth Census period was $20,500,000, or $715,000 less than the total amount now estimated. This is accounted for as follows: Since the original estimate was prepared, provision for an addi tional inquiry, relating to encumbrances on homes, was inserted in the census bill by the Senate and was enacted into law. The inclusion of this inquiry will add approximately $1,000,000 to the cost of the Fourteenth Census. An additional estimate of $50,000 has been made necessary for the construction of a fireproof vault REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 37 installation of freight elevators, the strengthening of floors, etc., at the temporary war building, which has been assigned to the bureau for the use of the Fourteenth Census force. The original estimate of $300,000 for rent of buildings in the District of Columbia, and $35,000 for fuel contained in last year’s estimates, have been eliminated on account of the assignment to this bureau of the temporary war building. The cost of heating that building will be paid by the Office of the Superintendent of the State, War, and Navy Building. These changes are equivalent to a net increase of $715,000. The estimates submitted by the Lighthouse Service show an increase over appropriations of $9,329,338.40. They include items of public works approximating $8,000,000, of which items amount ing to $1,500,000 have been heretofore authorized by Congress. Fourteen items amounting to $6,375,750 have not yet been author ized, but are urgently needed for the Service. The increase for the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce is $74} ,910, of which $117,410 is for salaries for additional em ployees in Washington to enable the bureau to keep abreast of the ever-increasing work and $410,000 additional is needed for the field service in this country and abroad. Sixty-nine thousand dollars is required for the development of trade by motion pictures, and $151,500 is asked for post allowances for men in foreign service, for transporting their families, and for bringing home the remains of such as may die abroad. The Steamboat-Inspection Service submits estimates increasing the amount appropriated for 1920 by $97,320, as the Service is being called on continually to do more work incident to the country’s shipping program. The increase for the Bureau of Navigation is $174,204 to enable the bureau to take care of the ever-increasing shipping problems which by law are imposed on this bureau. The war added many new investigations to the Bureau of Standards, the cost of which during the war was borne by other departments and the President’s fund, and approximately $2,000,000 additional is required to enable the bureau to pursue these investigations, which will result in great benefit to the Government and general public in peace times. The Bureau of Fisheries asks $637,880 additional, and the Coast and Geodetic Survey submits estimates which exceed the appropriations for 1920 by $2,000,000, over $1,000,000 of which is required for new vessels. RBPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 3« Increases of salaries for employees in the District of Columbia are not included in the recommendations of this Department because the matter is under consideration by the Joint Com mission on Reclassification of Salaries, and request will be made in the Book of Estimates that appropriations for these salaries be adjusted in accordance with such recommendations of the com mission as receive the approval of the Congress. This Department desires that such recommendations for in creased salaries as may be recommended by the Joint Commission on Reclassification of Salaries be considered in connection with the estimates of this Department. C o m p a r is o n o p t h e I t e m s o f E s t im a t e s f o r t h e S u b m i t t e d f o r t h e F is c a l Y e a r 1921 w it h D epa r tm en t of Co m m erce the A p p r o p r ia t io n s A c t u a l l y M a d e b y t h e C o n g r e s s f o r t h e F is c a l Y e a r 19 2 0 . Estim ates, 1921. A ppropria tions, 1920. Increase. Decrease. O F F IC E O F T H E S E C R E T A R Y . Salaries.......................................................... Contingent expenses.................................. R e n t............................................................... Total. $214,950.00 I $196,050.00 50,000.00 60,000.00 68, 500.00 68,500.00 3 4 3 *450- 00 S18,900.00 jo, 000.00 28,900.00 ; 314* 5 5 ° -00 L IG H T H O U S E S E R V IC E . Salaries.................................. .................................... 79,668.40 j 65,430.00 General expenses...................................................... 4,300,000.00 j 3,500,000.00 Salaries of keepers.................................................... 1*330,000.00 j 1,300,000.00 Salaries, light vessels.................................................... 2,100,000.00 j 1,400,000.00 Salaries, Lighthouse Service........................................| 490,000.00 j 380,000.00 85,000.00 45*000 00 R etired pay, Lighthouse Service............................... j Public works: Tenders and light vessels..................................... 5,000,000-00 ;. Lighthouse tenders and light vessels................. j 760.000. 00 j., Diamond Shoal L ight Vessel............................. 450.000. 00 i . H aw aiian Island lighthouse d e p o t.....................1 :20,000.00 350.000. 00 1. Fifth lighthouse district dep o t........................... 5 0 , OOO. OO : .. Virgin Islands, aids to n avigation..................... ! 95.000. 00 . Potom ac R iver, aids to n avigation................... 132,750-00 :. E ighth lighthouse d istrict d e p o t........................ 60.000. 00 j. Charleston, S. C., d e p o t.......................... ............ 250.000. 00 . Seventh lighthouse d istrict d e p o t...................... 19.600.00 j. Conneaut H arbor, Ohio, aids to n av ig atio n .. 75.000. 00 !. Ludington, Mich., aids to n avigation.............. 17,500- 00 i . Tam pa B ay, aids to n avigation......................... 148,500.00 ;. Delaware B ay Entrance, aids to navigation. 82, 300. OO ! . N ew port, R . I., lighthouse d e p o t..................... 4 4 *7 5 0 - 0 0 California and N evada, aids to n avigation---18.000. 00 . D epot keepers' dw ellings..................................... 150.000. 00 \. Cape Spencer, Alaska, Lighthouse Service— 6,500.00 j. G alveston Je tty , Lighthouse S ervice............... 44.600.00 i . Fifth lighthouse d istrict, additional b u o y s ... 6 5.0 0 0 . 00 . S taten Island, N . Y ., lighthouse d e p o t........... j j I j j i 14,238-40 800.000. 30.000. 700.000. n o , OOO-00 40.000 00 j 00 00 j 00 ; 5,000,000.00 ; 760,000-00 450.000. 00 1 120.000. 00 ; 350.000. 00 j 50,000-00 ! 95.000. 00 ; 132*750.00 60, ooo- co 250.000. 00 1 19,6oo-00 j 75.000. 00 : 17,500-00 148.500.00 82,300.00 ; 4 4 *7 5 0 - 0 0 18, ooo-00 150.000. 6, 500.00 ' 00 4 4 ,6 0 0 .0 0 6 5 .0 0 0 . 00 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Co m p a r is o n o p t h e : I t e m s o f E s t im a t e s f o r t h e D e p a r t m e n t S u b m i t t e d f o r t h e F is c a l Y e a r 1921 w it h the op 39 Co m m e r c e A p p r o p r ia t io n s A c t u a l ly M a d e b y t h e C o n g r e s s p o r t h e F i s c a l Y e a r 1920— Continued. A ppropria tions, 1920. Estim ates, 1921. l ig h t h o u s e s e r v ic e —continued. Public works—C ontinued. D etroit lighthouse d e p o t.................................... Execution Rocks, Lighthouse Service........... P oint Jiquero, P. R ., Lighthouse Service— M anitowoc Breakw ater, Lighthouse Service. Chicago H arbor, Lighthouse Service............... Lighthouse keepers’ dw ellings.......................... Tom pkinsville lighthouse d e p o t ..................... Third lighthouse d istrict, rip ra p ...................... Alaska, aids to n avig atio n ......................................... Total. Decrease. . . . $50,000.00 $50,000.00 2 4.0 0 0 . 00 2 4.0 0 0 . 6,400. 00 6 .400.00 50.0 00. 50, coo. 00 00 30, c o o . 00 30 .000 . 00 150,000.00 150,000.00 75 .0 0 0 . 7,0 44 ,830 .00 1 6 ,3 7 4 ,16 8 .4 0 7 5 .0 0 0 . 00 9 ,6 8 3 ,7 3 8 .4 0 354,400.00 354,400.00 b u r e a u 9.3291338.40 o f t h e c e n s u s . Expenses, Fourteenth D ecennial C ensus. O K F O R E IG N AND 6 ,2 15 ,0 0 0 .0 0 T o tal. 33 7 , 9 220, 5IO.OO 00 500.000. 00 3 2 5 . 0 0 0 . 150.0 00. 00 IOO, OOO. OO 15 0 .0 0 0 . 00 300.000. 00 6 9 .0 0 0 . 100 .000 . S T E A M B O A T -IN S P E C T IO N 117 ,4 10 . 00 0 0 175,000. 00 50.0 00. 100.000. OO so, 000.00 165, OOO. OO 13 s, 000.00 6 9 .0 0 0 . 00 50.0 00. 00 9 10 ,5 10 -0 O T o ta l. 24, 14 0.00 73 0 . 55 0 . 0 0 I 74 7,9 10 .0 0 2 2 , 9 4 0 - OO I , 20 0- 00 69 7 , 95 0 - 0 0 32.600.00 115,000 .00 3 3 . 5 2 0 .00 l60,000.00 30,000.00 1,0 9 3 ,2 10 .0 0 9 9 5 ,890- 00 9 7,32 0 .0 0 4 5 .13 0 .0 0 3 9 , 7 3 0 - 00 5.400.00 36.200.00 30 ,10 0.0 0 6 .10 0 .0 0 85.800.00 50.0 00. 148 .520.00 I 190 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 : O F N A V IG A T IO N . Salaries, B ureau of N av ig atio n............................ Salaries, Shipping Service..................................... Clerk hire, Shipping Service................................. Contingent expenses, Shipping Service............. A dm easurem ent of vessels..................................... In strum ents for counting passengers.................. Enforcem ent of navigation la w s.......................... Preventing overcrowding of passenger vessels., Enforcem ent of wireless-communication la w s.. Total............................................ 00 35,800.00 12,365-00 8 ,365.0 0 4,000.00 5,000.00 3 , soo. 00 1.50 0 .0 0 250.00 250.00 8 0.142 .0 0 43.000. 00 18,000.00 18 .0 0 0 . 00 12 9,2 6 2 .00 4 5 .0 0 0 . 00 84,262.0 0 412,149.00 00 1 , 500.00 X, 500. 00 50.0 00. S E R V IC E . Salaries, Office of Supervising Inspector G en eral.. Salaries, Steam boat-Inspection Service............. Clerk h ire ................................................................... Contingent expenses............................................... 00 IOO,OOO-00 00 1 ,6 5 8 ,4 2 0 .0 0 . BUREAU 8, 785,000.00 15,000,000.00 D O M E S T IC C O M M E R C E . Salaries........................................................................... Prom oting commerce.................................................. Prom oting commerce. South and C entral A m erica. Prom oting commerce, F ar E a s t.......................... Commercial a ttach es............................................... Developm ent of trade, m otion p ictu res............. Post allowances........................................................ Transporting rem ains............................................. Transporting fam ilies............................................. 23",945-00 ; 00 9 ,000.00 9.000 - 00 N et increase.. BUREAU $10,000.00 $10,000. oc 00 00 40 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. C o m p a r is o n o p t h e I t e m s o f E s t im a t e s S u b m it t e d f o r t h e F is c a l Y e a r 1921 for D epa rtm en t the w it h the of Com m erce A p p r o p r ia t io n s A c t u a l l y M a d e b y t h e C o n g r e s s f o r t h e F is c a l Y e a r 1920— Continued. Estim ates, 1931. BUREAU A p p ro p ria t io n s , 1920. Decrease. OF STA N D AR D S. Salaries........................................................................... E q u ip m e n t................................................................... R epairs and a lteratio n s.............................................. General expenses......................................................... Im provem ent and care of grounds............................ Testing stru ctu ral m aterials....................................... Testing m achines........................................................ Investigation of fire-resisting properties.................. Investigation of public utilities................................. Investigation of railw ay m aterials............................ Testing miscellaneous m aterials................................ Radio-com m unication research................................. Color standardization................................................... investigation of clay p roducts................................... Physical constants........................................................ Standardization and testing of mechanical ap pliances...................................................................... Investigation of optical glass...................................... Standard m aterials....................................................... Investigation of tex tiles............................................... Sugar standardization................................................ Gauge stand ard izatio n ................................................. Mine scales in vestigation............................................. M etallurgical research................................................ . In dustrial p y ro m etry ................................................... Sound investigation...................................................... In dustrial research........................................................ Industrial safety stan d ard s......................................... Standardization of instrum ents, m achinery, and e q u ipm en t................................................................... Investigation of electrodeposition of m etals......... Investigation of chemical reagents........................... W eights and measures cooperation. . . : .................. Gas-measuring instrum ents investigation.............. Electrical investigations.............................................. M otor combustion and lubricating! s tan d a rd s....... Construction w o rk ........................................................ Standardization and investigation of internalcombustion engines.................................................. Low -tem perature research and stan d ard izatio n ... A eronautic in stru m en t investigation...................... 'l'esting large scales....................................................... Testing car d e p o t.......................................................... Building for power p la n t...................... .................... A lteration of n orth laboratory................................. Moving and in stallatio n ............................................ A dditional la n d ........................................................... $18 4,680 .00 $ 6 71,4 4 0 .0 0 ! $486,760.00 100.000. 00 50.0 0 0 . 00 3 5 .0 0 0 . 00 8 .0 0 0 . 002 7 .0 0 0 . 00 10 0 .000 . 00 60.0 0 0 . 15 0 .0 0 0 . 2 5 .0 0 0 . 2 50.00 0. 00 00 40, ooo. 00 17,5 0 0 .0 0 00 7, 500.00 00 125, ooo. 00 00 12 5 .0 0 0 . 2 5 .0 0 0 . 00 5 5 .0 0 0 . 00 30.000. 00 6 5 .0 0 0 . 00 2 5 .0 0 0 . 00 40, ooo. 00 200.000. 00 8 5 .0 0 0 . 001x5,0 0 0 .0 0 2 5 .0 0 0 . 00 1 5 .0 0 0 . 5 0 .0 0 0 . 00 30 .0 0 0 . 75 .0 0 0 . •00 30,000.00 1 5 .0 0 0 . 00 10, ooo- 00 5, ooo. 00 5 0 .0 0 0 . 00 20, ooo. 00 30, ooo. 00 25,000 ■ 00 00 00 5 .0 0 0 . 10,000-00 20.000. 00 45, OOO. 00 20, OOO.OO 00 40 .00 0. 00 1 5 .0 0 0 . 75 .0 0 0 . 00 20, ooo. 00 15 .0 0 0 . 00 5,000.00 10, ooo. 00 75 .0 0 0 . 00 13 .0 0 0 . 00 60,000.00 30 .0 0 0 . 00 20, ooo. 00 10, ooo- 00 6 0 .0 0 0 . 00 40, ooo. 00 2 5 .0 0 0 . 00 1 5 .0 0 0 . 00 75 .0 0 0 . 00 2 5 .0 0 0 . 00 50, ooo. 00 10 .0 0 0 . 00 5, OOO. 00 250,000.00 50,000-00 5 0 .0 0 0 . 00 25,00©- 00 55, ooo. 00 20, ooo. OO 10,000- 00 10.000-00 20, 000- OO 00 15,00 0.00 200, ooo. OO 50, ooo. 00 75 , 000-00 75,000-00 20, 000-00 20,000 ■ 00 15 .0 0 0 . 00 1 5 .0 0 0 - 00 3 5 .0 0 0 . 00 35.000- 00 10 .0 0 0 . 00 10, ooo- 00 5 0 .0 0 0 . 00 50, ooo- 00 50, o o o -00 50.000. CO 10.000. 00 10-000*00 150,000.00 150, ooo- 00 20, OOO- OO 20, OOO- OO 25. 000. OO 25, o o o - 00 00,000-00 20.000- OO So, 000.00 5 0 .000- 00 50.0 0 0 . 00 5 0 ,o o o •00 6 0 .0 0 0 . 00 60, OOO. 00 100, ooo. 00 T o t a l ...................................................................................... ! 3,2 4 6 ,4 4 0 .0 0 ; 1,3 9 7 ,2 6 0 .0 0 D e c r e a s e ............................................................................................ •.............................. \ .............................. N et increase.. Increase. $IOO, OOC. OO r, 949,180- 00 100,000-00 1,8 4 9 ,18 0 .0 0 100,000.00 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. C o m p a r is o n o p t h e I t e m s o f E s t im a t e s f o r S u b m it t e d f o r t h e F is c a l Y e a r 1921 thf. w it h D epa rtm en t of the 41 Co m m e r c e Ap p r o p r ia t io n s A c t u a l l y M a d e b y t h e C o n g r e s s f o r t h e F i s c a l Y e a r 1920— Continued. Estim ates, 1921. BUREAU OP A ppropria tions, 1920. Increase. F IS H E R IE S . $112,940.00 Salaries, B ureau of F ish eries...................................... $146,460.00 347,250.00 478,610.00 Salaries, field service.................................................... 719,000.00 864,000.00 Miscellaneous expenses................................................ 30,000.00 A uxiliary station, Mississippi R iv e r........................ Fish hatcheries: ,000.00 4,000.00 D u lu th ..................................................................... », 000.00 .............................. New H am p sh ire.................................................... 1,000.00 j .............................. ! NorthviUe, M ich.................................................... », 000.00 ! .............................. R hode Is la n d .......................................................... >,000.00 ! .............................. St. Johnsbury, V t.................................................. ■ , 500.00 j .............................. San Marcus, T e x .................................................... »,OOO.OO:.................. Saratoga, W y o ........................................................ ;,ooo.oo ; ........................ W oods Hole, M ass................................................. »,000.00 , 5,000.00 W ytheville, V a ...................................................... ................ ! 8,000.00 Cape Vincent, N. Y .................................................. », 000.00 ; .............................. Marine Biological Station, K ey W est, F la ............. », OOO. OO ! .............................. Fur-seal islands, A laska............................................... Developm ent and im provem ent of herring fish eries, A laska................................................................ 10,000.00 Biological station, Fairport. Io w a ............................ 7,500.00 Power lighter for Pribilof Islan d s................................ $ 33,520.0 0 j. T o ta l..................................................................... 1,851,570.00 Decrease.................................................................................................... 663,380- OO 2 5 , 500.00 x, 213,690- OO 145,000.00 j. 30 .0 0 0 . 00 . 11.0 0 0 . 00 . 20.000. 00 . 50.0 00. 00 40 .00 0. 00 10,000-00 7 ,5 0 0 .0 0 10 .0 0 0 . 00 15 .0 0 0 . 00 5,000.00 $8,000.00 n o , 000.00 20,000.00 10,000.00 7,500.00 637,880.00 N et increase.......................................... COAST AN D 13 1,3 6 0 .0 0 j. G E O D E T IC S U R V E Y . P a rty expenses.......................................... R epairs of vessels...................................... Pay, etc., officers and m e n ..................... Salaries........................................................ 4 9 4 i 600.00 i SÓjOOO.OO 460,000.00 523,680.00 ; 282,621.00 26,500.00 416,000.00 223,330.00 .............. 68,000.00 Four or more lau n ch es............................ Total. Decrease 3,737,231.00 N et increase.. Printing and b in d in g ............................. tf 638,280 2.107.951- 00 ; 9,000.00 » 2.098.951- t 386,430.00 300.000-00 00 i 86,430-00 R E C A P IT U L A T IO N . Office of the S ecretary......................................... lig h th o u se Service.............................................. Bureau of the Census.......................................... Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. Steam boat-Inspection Service.......................... Bureau of N avigation......................................... 314,550-00 28,900.00 .................... 3 4 3 , 4 5 0 -0 0 354,400.00 16,374,168. 40 7,044,830-00 9,683,738.40 6,215,000.00 15,000,000-00 ........................8, 78s,000. 00 747.910.00 1,658,420.00 9 1 0 , 510.00 995,890-00 97.320.00 1,093. 210. 00 174.204. 00 412,149.00 2 3 7 , 9 4 5 -0° REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 42 C o m p a r is o n - o f t u b I tems S u b m it t e d f o r t h e of E s t im a t e s f o r t u b F is c a l Y e a r 1921 w i t h the D epa r tm en t o f Co m m erce A p p r o p r ia t io n s A c t u a l l y M a d e b y t h e C o n g r e s s f o r t h e F i s c a l Y e a r 1920— Continued. Estim ates, 192t. R S C A P ir u L A T iO N — . A ppropria tions, 1920. Increase. Decrease. continued. $3,246,440.00 $1,397,260.00 $1.949, xSo-00 663,380-00 11851,570.00 i, 213.690.00 r ,638, 280.00 2,107,951-00 3 . 7 3 7 , 23X. 00 300,000.00 86,430- 00 386,430.00 $100,000.00 25,500.00 9,000.00 35.318,068.40 29,052,955.00 15,539,013-40 9,273,900.00 9,273,900.00 6,265,113-40 Personnel. The accompanying table shows, by bureaus, the number of permanent positions in the Department on July 1, 1919, and the increase or decrease in each bureau as compared with July 1, 1918. The figures do not include temporary appointments, nor do they include the following appointments or employments not made by the head of the Department: Persons engaged in rodding, chain ing, recording, heliotroping, etc., in field parties of the Coast and Geodetic Survey; temporary employments in field operations of the Bureau of Fisheries; mechanics, skilled tradesmen, and laborers employed in field construction work in the Lighthouse Service. Enlisted men on vessels of the Coast Survey in the Philippine islands and officers and men of the Navy Department employed on vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries are also excluded. The total of these excluded miscellaneous employments and enlistments is approximately 5,000, as compared with 4,444 for the fiscal year 1918. At the close of the fiscal year 1919 there were 1,262 em ployees in the service of the Department serving under temporary appointment or employment. The total number of permanent positions referred to in the accompanying table, together with the employments and enlist ments just mentioned, on July 1, 1919, was approximately 12,349, as compared with 11,051 on July 1, 1918. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. S ta tu tory. Bureau. N onstatutory. 43 I ncrcase (+ ) or decrease (-). In D istrict of Co lumbia. Outside D istrict of Co lumbia. ->348 305 996 428 5.818 ° 695 a 174 902 82 653 *3 * — 49 94 “ 65 8 43 5 »7 7 5 «369 5 73 Total. .......... Bureau of the Census....................................... Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce Bureau of S ta n d a rd s........................................ Bureau of Fisheries.......................................... Bureau of Lighthouses.................................... Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey ............................ Bureau of N avigatio n ...................................... Steam boat-Inspection Service....................... T o tal......................................................... 636 712 153 381 424 56 336 -S3 615 4 5*702 606 b d 45 1 59 3- 97 942 204 408 8,108 10,632 2*524 8s 346 45 1 59 14 394 “ 5 c 403 — 29 61 2*507 8,125 4*3 a Employees engaged in work in th e field for a p art of each year, w ith headquarters in W ashington, are treated as w ithin th e D istrict of Columbia. b Includes th e following positions, appointm ent to which is n o t m ade by th e head of the D epartm ent: 415 mechanics, skilled tradesm en, and laborers employed in field construction work in the Lighthouse Service and work of a sim ilar character a t th e general lighthouse depot a t Tom pkinsville. N . Y .; 1,513 laborers in charge of post lights; and 1,343 m embers of crews of vessels. e Includes employees on vessels retransferred from th e jurisdiction of th e N avy D epartm ent. Com oar able statistics in last year’s report showed a loss of 250 for th is Bureau. d Includes 2 stenographers and typew riters authorized b y law, for n o t exceeding 6 m onths during the year* The following table gives a summary of changes in the personnel of the Department for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919: A ppointm ents.« Perm anent. Bureau. Com peti tive. Office of the Secretary............................ 90 178 Ex cept ed. 2 U n classi fied. Total. Tem po Grand total. rary. Promo R educ tions. tions. 104 666 186 488 27 59S 1* 4 **3 * 4 1x8 1,909 232 774 ■4 76 23 7 303 98 *59 80 239 300 > 2.407 3*095 c 5 *5 ° 3 _______ 4.147 x22 <7 290 76 410 , Bureau of Foreign and Domestic 88 Bureau of S ta n d a rd s.............................. Bureau of Fisheries................................ 554 94 *4 6 46 b 44* Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey .................. 60 Steam boat-Inspection S ervice............. *59 T o tal................................................ l, 708 xo *45 6 54 23 3 79 14 ° Includes app o in tm en ts of th e following characters: Presidential, b y selection from civil-service certifi cates, u n d e r E xecutive order, to excepted positions, b y reinstatem ent and b y reason of transfer w ithin th e D epartm ent or from o th er d e p artm en ts or in d ep en d en t establishm ents. &M ainly voluntary reductions accepted by employees to secure more desirable conditions of living. c Includes a large n u m b er of ap p o in tm en ts by reason of increase of compensation. 44 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Separations.« Bureau. From perm anent positions. Competi E x tive. cepted. Office of the S ecretary ............................ 82 ias 3 372 Bureau of Foreign an d Domestic ComBureau of S ta n d a rd s............................... U nclas sified. 2 T o ta l................................................ 41 41 1,258 Grand total. Miscel laneous changes.*» 87 995 X12 34 199 X,029 45 19 ......... X 5 2 89 378 58 1,127 i-50s »9 2 ;8 45 AT 89 36 4i3 Bureau of N avigation............................. Total. From tem po rary po sitions. 2 81 ■ ’ ... 32 88l 2,171 51: 1.764 3.935 23 X“ 396 ° Includes separations by reason of resignations, discontinuances, removals, deaths, transfers w ith in the D epartm ent, an d transfers from th e D ep artm en t to other d epartm ents or independent establishm ents. &Includes reappointm ents by reason of change of station, nam e, designation, extensions of tem porary appointm ents, changes from tem porary to p erm anent statu s, etc. In spite of the unusual number of losses of employees during the last fiscal year and the difficulty of securing qualified ap pointees, the Department has maintained its policy of filling upper-grade vacancies by promoting employees whenever possible and discouraging the filling of such vacancies by making appoint ments from outside its service. This policy is well established and is appreciated by the employees, who thereby have an incen tive to prepare themselves for more responsible duties, thus acquiring a more general knowledge of the Department’s activities and increasing their value to it. It also has a tendency to mini mize the desire to seek better-paid opportunities elsewhere, which has become abnormally evident and causes much derangement of governmental work. Among certain classes of the Department’s employees where outside competition was keen, the Department, in order to main tain efficient service, has been compelled from time to time to increase the salaries paid. In no other manner was it possible to retain a sufficient force among such classes as mechanics, crews, and officers of vessels, etc. The following table shows a net decrease in the average amount of leave utilized by employees during the last year, in spite of a considerable increase in the amount of sick leave used, resulting REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 45 from the epidemic of Spanish influenza prevalent in the latter part of 1918: T o ta l a n d A v e r a g e A m o u n t o f A n n u a l a n d S ic k L e a v e , b y B u r e a u s , S t a t e d S e pa r a t e l y a n d T o g e t h e r , T a k e n b y E m p l o y e e s o f t h e D e pa r t m e n t in t h e D i s t r i c t o f 'C o l u m b i a , A r r a n g e d A c c o r d i n g t o S e x , D u r i n g t h e C a l e n d a r Y e a r 1918, a n d A v e r a g e L e a v e f o r 1917. M A L E. A nnual leave.« B ureau. Number.b A ver age. Days. Office of the Secretary............... Bureau of the Census................ Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce........................... Bureau of S ta n d a rd s................. Bureau of Fisheries................... Bureau of Lighthouses............. Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey __ Bureau of N avigation............... Steam boat-Inspection Service. Total and average........... 67 283 Sick leave. Days. r A ver age. Total. Days. A ver age. A ver age, 1917. 1,711 25- 54 514 7- 67 2,225 3 3 -2 1 28. 55 8,030 28.37 2.284 8 .0 7 10 ,3 14 36 .45 3 4 - 83 35- 1 7 74 1 .9 7 9 26.74 -s s 10.61 2,764 37- 35 398 5.880 14- 77 2.096 5- 27 7,9 7 6 20. 04 24- 59 41 1.0 4 7 25- 54 247 6. 02 I, 294 3 1-5 6 3 0 72 3 3 - 78 21 597 28.43 221 10. 52 818 38 .95 128 3 ,5 7 8 27- 95 1,230 9. 61 4,808 3 7 - 56 3 2 . 24 16 386 24- 13 64 4.00 450 28. I3 32. 5 132 26. 40 50 10. 00 182 36.40 29. OO I »033 23.340 22. 59 7,4 9 1 7- 25 30,831 29. 85 3O. 7O I? FE M A L E . Office of the Secretary.............. Bureau of the Census................ Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.......................... Bureau of S ta n d a rd s................. Bureau of Fisheries................... Bureau of Lighthouses............. Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey__ Bureau of N avigation............... Steamboat-Inspection Service. Total and average........... 43 I; I86 27-58 472 ■ 0.98 1,6 5 8 38. 56 3 5 - 29 245 7 .3 4 5 29. 98 3 .2 1 7 . 3 - 13 10.562 43- II 41. 85 26 744 78. 62 429 l6. 5O 1 . 173 4 5 * 12 37- 62 26 482 28. 54 200 7. 69 682 26. 23 5f . 00 22 64O 20. 09 253 IT. 50 893 40. 59 41 - 57 53- SO 4 II8 29 - S® 68 17. OO 186 46 .50 20 573 28. 65 256 12. 80 829 41. 45 42. 29 7 210 30. OO 82 I I . 71 292 41. 71 42. S3 120 30. OO 36 9. OO 156 3 9 - OO 5 .0 13 12. 63 16 ,431 4 ri .19 41. 08 4 397 11,418 28. 76 TO T A L. Office of the Secretary............. Bureau of the Census.............. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce........................... Bureau of Sta n d a rd s................. Bureau of Fisheries................... Bureau of Lighthouses............. Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey __ Bureau of N avigation............... Steam boat-Inspection Service. T otal and average........... no S»8 2,897 15.375 26.34 986 8.96 3,883 3 5 " 30 3«. 8l 29. 12 5.501 IO. 42 20,876 3 9 - 54 3 7 - 97 3 5 - «O ZOO 2 .723 - 7- 214 12. 14 3 .9 3 7 39*37 424 6,362 15-00 2, 296 5 -41 8.658 20. 42 24 85 63 26. 77 500 7 -94 2 .18 7 34- /I .13- 67 25 1.677 7I5 28. 60 289 II- 56 x.004 40. 16 3 5 - 30 148 4 . IS* 28. c s 1.48 6 10. 04 5 , 6 )7 38.09 3 3 - 17 23 596 25- 9 * 146 742 32. 26 3 3 - 56 9 253 28.00 86 6.35 956 338 3 7 - 56 29. OO 1.430 34 ,75 8 24- 30 12,504 8.74 4 7 ,263 3 3 -05 3 3 -3 0 23 1, a In th e count of th e an n u al leave, all periods of one-half day and over were counted as full days; periods of less th a n one-half d ay were om itted. 6 Only those employees were included who are considered as being en titled to th e full yearly allowance of both annual and sick leave. 46 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Superannuation and Retirement. The annual reports of this Department during the past six years have presented the subject of retirement of superannuated and disabled Government employees. Hence it may hardly be necessary to add further expression of my views; yet I regard the subject as of such importance that I must not leave undone anything within my power to advance it. I look at it from the standpoint of common justice, on the one hand, and from that of efficient service, on the other hand. Large private concerns recognize that a lifetime spent in their service carries with it an obligation of honor toward the employee who has thus served faithfully when years make him incapable of further effective work. The business house that would turn out an aged employee, saying to him in substance “ Now look out for yourself” after a long and good record would be damned by the common opinion of the business world, and deservedly so. The only conceivable excuse that could be made would be that the employer had paid during the long service a sufficient salary over and above all the exigencies of life to have enabled the employee to provide himself for his own old age. No one will charge the Government with doing that. Failure to be as just in these matters as private concerns are, injures the Government either by causing the ambitious to seek better opportunities elsewhere or by relaxing the efforts of its employees generally through the unconscious drag that comes from hopeless service. The result of the present condition is seen in the survival of many old people in the Govern ment work who struggle on because they needs must, when they should have ceased from their labors. Enactments requiring these aged workers to be discharged are substantially repealed by the higher law of humanity. They are demoted and maintained at reduced pay, thus creating what is in substance a pension with out retirement, without the dignity of a recognition by the Gov ernment of their worth, and maintaining the inefficiency which everyone seeks to remove. I am not especially concerned as to the details of any measure that may ameliorate this evil. During the present Congress many bills have been introduced for this purpose, one, the LehlbachSterling bill, has passed the House of Representatives and has been introduced into the Senate. It may, perhaps, be susceptible of improvement, but it is a recognition of a claim and an attempt to remove an incubus on the wheels of governmental business. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 47 It is to be hoped that the bill may shortly become law, and thus at once justly provide for those who have served many years, open the door to more rapid promotion and to larger opportuni ties for younger and more active employees, and make the Govern ment work more efficient not only through the removal of ineffectives, but by the unconscious but very real self-discipline that comes in response to wise and far-seeing treatment of the employee. I firmly believe that after a year of experience with any sound retirement system no voices will be lifted against it. Salaries. The Department has followed its usual practice of filling vacan cies by promoting the clerks in the service instead of filling the higher-salaried positions with appointees from the civil-service registers without experience in Government work. It has been shown by experience to be a wise course, for it gives to every clerical employee assurance that faithful attendance to duty will bring about promotion in due time. It has developed, however, that many of the $900 positions can not be filled permanently, as that entrance salary, even including the bonus of $240 allowed during the present year, possesses no attraction as compared with the compensation offered by private employers. Competent clerks could be secured before the war at an entrance salary of $900. They can not be had now. The positions that are thus vacant are needed for the work of the Government. The inability to fill them reduces the force, already insufficient, and imposes an undue strain upon employees in the higher grades whose duties are already heavy. The present $900 entrance salary for clerks should be abolished. Even with the bonus it is not sufficient to secure experienced clerks, notably stenographers and typewriters, who can readily obtain from $1,200 to $1,500 per annum elsewhere. There is a chronic dearth of this class of eligibles on the registers of the Civil Service Commission. The entrance compensation for clerks should be at least $1,200 per annum, which is not more than is paid in many places for common labor. The Nolan minimum compensation bill now before Congress is an attempt to minimize the hardship involved in the combination of low salary and high cost of living in cases where it bears most heavily. It ig, however, but a partial solution of the problem. It is hoped that systematic and adequate relief in this respect will be accomplished through the work of the congressional Joint 48 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Commission on Reclassification of Salaries established under the act of March i, 1919. The Department has cooperated actively with the joint Com mission on Reclassification of Salaries and hopes that the studies of that commission will result in an improvement of existing con ditions. The plain fact is that many of the Government workers are to-day unable to live, even with the severest economy, upon the pay winch they receive. They are forced to run into debt, are obliged to seek separate means of adding to their income, or are forced to withdraw from the service because other employers are more appreciative than the Government of existing conditions. The legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation act ap proved March 1, 1919, provides $240 per annum increase of compensation for the fiscal year 1920, in lieu of the $120 bonus allowed during the past fiscal year, in recognition of the necessity under present living conditions for upward revision of salaries. This but partially meets current necessities. The temporary increase is not comparable with the increase in the cost of living. If, to the high prices of all necessary articles required for living, there be added the demands for subscriptions to Government loans, to the Red Cross, calls for the purchase of War Savings Stamps, and other outlays which, however fine, useful, or even thrifty, still call for payment from a fixed sum of amounts which are large in proportion thereto— if, let it be repeated, these de mands are aggregated and against them is weighed the fact that during one fiscal year a bonus of but $120 was added and in a second year a bonus of $240, it must be evident not only that these bonuses are hopelessly inadequate to meet the situation, but that the net result of the pressure upon many faithful and hard-working people has been really tragic. It is astonishing how generous the working force of this Department has been in matters of public helpfulness (see detailed description on p. 66) when the conditions of life have been so hard. / There have, furthermore, been cases where real injustice has been done. In the Lighthouse Service the salaries of keepers have been raised by the act of Congress approved June 20, 1918. In the same Service the wages of seamen and officers on board vessels have also been raised, following the official action of the Navy Department and the Shipping Board. This, however, has left the field supervising and clerical force where they were before the war, save for the bonus. The result has been an actual dis crimination against a portion of a service quite as worthy as those REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 49 who have been more favored. Yet the requests made of Con gress for funds sufficient to remove this act of real injustice have been refused. Under date of August 14, 1919, the superintendent of the eighteenth lighthouse district (San Francisco, Calif.) wrote the Commissioner of Lighthouses as follows: The base pay of $960 per annum with a bonus of S240 per annum is practically the lowest paid b y any Government service in this city , and only the poorer class of eligibles w ill accept an appointment in this district. It is feared that with this low base pay a class of clerks far below the average in efficiency w ill enter the Lighthouse Service and in the course of time prove a very serious handicap to the handling ol the district work. Indeed the funds allotted for the Lighthouse Service in all re spects, whether as to keepers’ salaries, the wages of seamen and officers on vessels, or the wages of its field supervising and clerical force, are far from sufficient to carry that Service through the fiscal year, and a very considerable sum will be necessary unless the work of that Service is to be actually shut off in large part before the year closes. During the last two years the Bureau of Standards has lost nearly or quite 50 per cent of its technical staff. This applies to all grades of trained scientific and technical men, but is especially true of the leaders in specific lines. The salaries of these men in the laboratories of the industries or in consultation work are usually double those which the Bureau of Standards is permitted to pay. To make this entirely clear a table is given below in which the names are represented by letters, stating actual cases of ex perts who have left the service for other salaries and giving the salaries paid elsewhere: Bureau salary. Salary outside. Name. T itle a t Bureau. A ......... Chief of paper section................ $2,700 $7, 2 0 0 B ......... 3 >3 ©o 5 ,0 0 0 C .......... Senior associate physicist in m etallurgical division. Electrical engineer..................... D ......... Chief of tex tile section.............. 2 ,5 0 0 E .......... Associate physicist, in charge paper laboratory. 3 ,5 0 0 F .......... Chief, m agnetic la b o ra to ry .. . . 2, G ......... 3 ,5 3 0 Gas engineer................................ 3 ,3 0 0 500 4,500 and promise. A bout double. N early double. T itle outside. Director of departm ent of technical control of th e largest paper concern in the country. Research m etallurgist in large m etal corporation. Electrical engineer. Consulting tex tile expert. H ead of research utilization aud new developm ents in a large paper con cern operating 12 mills. Consulting expert. Tw o or three tim es mo re.« 3» 300 Gas engineer in large gas corporation. o Refused’outside offer of $7,500. 1 4 0 2 6 1 — ------- 4 50 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The following table gives cases in which private firms have offered the technical experts of the Bureau of Standards higher salaries than those they are receiving. In some of these cases the experts were asked by outside employers to name their own price, yet they have remained at the Bureau of Standards at a personal sacrifice, which it is wholly unfair as well as unwise to ask them longer to continue. Name. Title a t Bureau. H ......... Chief, division of ceramics and optical glass. Physicist an d chief of the m etallurgical division. I ........... Optical-glass e x p e rt................... Associate physicist and m etallographist. l .......... Chief, gage section...................... ........... K ......... j a B ureau salary. Salary outside. $4,800 $10,000 4,000 7 »5 °° 2,500 2,700 5,000 4,©oo 3,000 ° 5 >o°° T itle outside. Ceramics chief. Scientific m etallurgist in charge of A merican end of large m etal corpora tion. Technical expert in optical-glass factory. M etallograpliist in alum inum corpora tion. Chief of gage m anufacture in large in d u strial concern. C ontract arranges for increase; base salary is guaranteed. The above examples are chosen from the higher grades, but facts in the same proportion exist in all grades of the scientific and technical staff. If this process is to continue, many lines of the bureau’s investigational work will have to be abandoned. The best we can hope to do at the low salaries now provided is to maintain a few untrained men for routine and testing work, and even this will suffer for lack of proper supervision. The Bureau of Standards has more than ioo specialized lines of scientific and technical work. Each demands an expert of expe rience and ability, able to plan and supervise research and testing of a superior grade. The bureau can not pay the salaries de manded by men who are already trained and have the requisite administrative experience, since there are but 30 positions in the grades from $3,000 to $3,500 per annum, inclusive. A critical situation, therefore, arises, since, even when the bu reau trains competent men and fits them to become chiefs of sec tions, the industries pick them off as fast as they become thor oughly competent. The reason is solely the low salaries the bureau is able to pay and (even at such salaries) the relatively small number of good positions compared with the number of specialized fields in the bureau. The case becomes even more serious when it is remembered that the Bureau of Standards is REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 51 expected to be the leader in each of these specialized fields of scientific and technical work. At least 10 Government boards and commissions have chiefs who receive in excess of that paid at the Bureau of Standards. The salaries of such chiefs range from $7,500 to $12,000 for train ing and experience not more highly technical or exacting than that required for the Bureau of Standards. The highest technical salary (apart from Director) at the Bureau of Standards is $4,800. The following partial list shows Government positions paying in excess of the bureau’s maximum : Federal Trade Commission: 5 commissioners..................... $10,000 5,000 i secretary............................... U. S. Tariff Commission: Chairman................................. 7, 500 7, 500 5 commissioners..................... Secretary................................. 5, 000 U. S. Shipping Board: 5 commissioners..................... 7, 500 Secretary................................. 5,000 5, 000 3 special exp erts.................... Chief counsel.......................... 10,000 Board of Mediation, etc. : 7, 500 Commissioner......................... Assistant commissioner........ 5,000 Interstate Commerce Commis sion: 9 commissioners..................... 10,000 Secretary'................................. 5, 000 Federal Board for Vocational Education : Chief of division.................... 2 chiefs of division s.............. 2 assistant directors.............. 1 assistant director................ 6,000 5,000 4, 500 4,250 Pan American Union: Director gen eral.................... $7, 500 Assistant d irecto r.................. 4, 700 Federal Reserve Board: Chairman, Secretary of Treasury (ex officio). G o vern o r................................. 12,000 Vice govern or........................ 12, 000 3 members............................... 12, 000 Comptroller of Currency (ex officio) ( p l u s $5,000, Comptroller’s salary)........ 7,000 Secretary................................. 9,000 6, 000 1 chief of d iv isio n ................ 1 chief of division ................. 5, 500 International Joint Commission: Chairman................................. 7, 500 7, 500 2 commissioners..................... 4,000 Secretary................................. Panama Canal : General purchasing o ffice r.. 4, 620 Inspecting engineer.............. 4,400 Chief clerk purchasing de partm ent.............................. 4,000 Assistant auditor.................... 4,000 Assistant engineer................. 3, 720 I The above table shows that 19 positions outside of the Bureau of Standards pay double the maximum expert salary. Salaries of $10,000 and over per annum are not at all unusual with large industrial corporations for experts carrying on scientific and technical work; yet these men thus paid are those who consult the experts of the Bureau of Standards and are assisted by them. It would be interesting to compare the salaries paid in the Rail road Administration not only with those given members of the Cabinet, but those paid the heads of country-w'ide services em ploying thousands of men and large equipment. It is a plain truth that on the whole the insufficiency of Government salaries in the higher, responsible positions approaches the scandalous. 52 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. By the act of Congress approved July 2, 1918, the pay of the inspectors of the Steamboat-Inspection Service was materially increased. The increase was, however, not as great as it should have been, nor proportionate with the increase received by men in outside employment doing the same kind of work. The clerks in the Steambpat-Inspection Service should also receive an increase in pay. The work of the field clerks of the Steamboat-Inspection Service is of a peculiar nature. It is well known that the maritime law is entirely different from the com mon law, and that the rules and procedure in admiralty are entirely different from the other procedure, and in the same way the organization of the Steamboat-Inspection Service is peculiar to itself. No other bureau in the Government has as many unusual and peculiar conditions to meet as the SteamboatInspection Service. The clerks must, therefore, be especially trained for the work they have to do before they are in any way efficient. The expansion in shipping has been tremendous, and incident thereto an enormous increase in the amount of work of that service. This work has been done without a murmur, and, as the inspectors have been rewarded, so should the clerks be. The salaries for the vast majority of the classified positions in the Bureau of Fisheries have remained virtually stationary for about 30 years. There is a large loss of effectiveness because of the grossly inadequate salaries paid throughout the service, but especially in the technical grades. It is unfair and demoralizing to employees qualified in fish culture, biology, and fishery technique to receive on the average much lower compensation than is given to unskilled laborers in private business. The bureau has 13 clerical positions at $900 each, and only 22 of higher grades, with salaries ranging from $1,000 to $1,800. The service is overcrowded at the bottom, and there is little opportunity for advancing capable and deserving employees. From July 1, 1917, to July 1, 1919, there have been 16 resignations in the $900 grade because better pay could be obtained elsewhere. The present condition is very serious, due to the difficulty of obtaining and retaining intelligent employees with ability and initiative. The time of chiefs of division is occupied to such an extent by routine -work that should be handled by subordinates that they have altogether too little opportunity for the important administrative matters of their divisions. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 53 A readjustment of salaries in the field force attached to hatch eries is imperative. The present rate of pay was established more than a quarter of a century ago. The bureau for several years has been unable to induce desirable and qualified persons to enter this service at the meager compensation offered. The statutory base pay for apprentice fish-culturists is from $600 in the United States proper to $900 in Alaska; $900 to $1,200 for fish-culturists and foremen; and $1,500 for station superin tendents. The latter officials are responsible for Government property valued at thousands of dollars and for the efficient operations of their respective hatcheries where important fishcultural operations are carried on. The lowest base compensa tion for the grades mentioned should be $900, $1,200, and $2,000, respectively. It must be remembered that the Bureau of Fisheries requires a force especially equipped for its work. All of its employees must be trained for the business, and before receiving permanent appointments must pass a suitable civil-service examination. The wage problem in the vessel service is a similar one. The positions of assistants in charge of divisions require men with long, technical training and experience and are now filled by highly qualified persons whose work is most effective and meets with the hearty support of the fishery interests and the general public. The present salaries attached to these positions are materially under those for corresponding positions or similar service in other bureaus of the Government. In 12 bureaus of 3 departments, excluding the Bureau of Fisheries, the average salary paid to a division chief or for similar positions is $3,473, while in the latter Bureau it is $2,600. The bureau is now faced with the serious problem of prevent ing the inevitable deterioration of the service if it is to be com posed of only those who can find no other employment, those who have independent means, or of those who will voluntarily forego the privileges and responsibilities of family life or condemn their children to the deprivation of many ordinary comforts and the opportunities for special education. I invite attention to the nature, extent, diversity, and amount of the work performed by the Commissioner, Deputy Commis sioner, chief clerk, and chief of tonnage division of the Bureau of Navigation in the hope that these officers may be paid properly. All these officers are men who by long training and experience are especially qualified for the work. The increase recommended 54 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. is not based entirely on the work of this bureau during the past four years, which was increased rather than diminished by the multiplication of marine agencies and the scattering of marine work among them during the war. Although most of the statu tory work of the Bureau of Navigation continued to be performed during this period, much of its time and efforts were required to assist other branches of the Government, hurriedly organized, and in consequence not conversant with all the subjects with which they had to deal or with the acts of Congress governing those subjects and not to be ignored. My recommendation is based on the elementary principle that the laborer is worthy of his hire. The Bureau of Navigation since 1884 by statute has general superintendence of the commercial marine and merchant seamen. This general jurisdiction of late years has been extended by the addition of new specific duties developed by inventions and progress such as the administration of laws relating to wireless apparatus and operators, motor-boat legislation, and other services specially provided for. The essential fact, however, is that we now have a merchant fleet in tonnage alone almost double the commercial fleet of 1914. Of more consequence, however, than the amount of tonnage is the fact that we now have in foreign trade alone a tonnage equal to that of our entire merchant fleet in 1914. During the current year this fleet will probably be increased by nearly 4,000,000 gross tons. In the foreign trade our ships must conform in many respects to the laws of the countries they visit, and the whole range of duties involved in Government supervision over and cooperation with merchant shipping is thus extended and made difficult by comparison with the simpler duties the Government assumes in the regulation of the domestic or coasting trade. My own observation accords with the views of practical shipping men and shipbuilders that the great increase in our fleets and their radius of commercial activity, due partly to the stimulation of the early years of the war, partly to the great appropriations by Congress after we entered the war, call for a better-paid and increased force to deal with shipping matters. With the con currence of the Bureau of Navigation the necessary steps to remedy this condition were held in abeyance during the war, and since the end of the war nothing has been done in this con nection. The Commissioner of Navigation is probably the country’s leading expert in the law, customs, and practice of the maritime REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 55 profession. His long service of over a quarter of a century has given him peculiar familiarity with our national maritime laws. He is personally acquainted with the leading maritime officers, private and public, of other nations, and his counsel is by them sought and respected. It is a pitiful thing that such an officer should have to serve for a salary as small as $4,000 per annum. This is the smallest salary paid any bureau chief in the Department of Commerce and less than is paid in other positions of inferior authority. The work of the Deputy Commissioner requires not only a knowledge of the application of the many laws administered by the bureau, but also judicial sense in the consideration annually of about 7,000 applications for the mitigation or remission of penalties in which he takes the pi'eliminarv action and makes recommendations. Direct administrative supervision of the va rious services of the bureau in the field requires also good business sense and promptitude. The Deputy Commissioner has amply demonstrated to my own satisfaction, and, I am confident, to the satisfaction of those who have dealings with this office, the pos session of those qualities. Through long experience the chief clerk has an intimate ac quaintance with all phases of the bureau’s work and with its relations to other branches of the service both here and in the field which it is hard to assess in money terms. I know of very few others who do so much wmrk on which general reliance for accuracy must be placed who receive pay so incommensurate with the work. The record and statistical work of this bureau in charge of the head of the tonnage division of only eight clerks is accepted as authority both here and abroad, and during the past four years, when attention has been focused on shipping, the work and fore casts of the chief of this division has stood all tests of criticism. The salaries provided for the executive officers of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce are entirely inadequate for the class of men demanded and the services performed. Increases should be provided, at least, for the Director, the two Assistant Directors, and the chief clerk. It is recommended that the salary of the Director be raised to $8,000, of the First Assistant Director to $4,500, and of the Second Assistant Director to $4,000, and that the chief clerk be made an administrative assistant at $3,500. A number of new positions should be provided in order to carry on the more important work of the bureau, as well as in the cler- 56 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE ical grades. Requests have, therefore, been made for one addi tional chief of section at $2,500, one at $2,250, and four at $2,000 each, and an increase of six assistant chiefs of divisions at $2,250. Recommendations for 1 additional clerk at $1,800, 14 at $1,600, 2 at $1,400, and 56 at $1,200 are also submitted. In arriving at the estimate for increases in the statutory force, the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce believes that the force recommended is the absolute minimum if it is to distribute to the public properly and promptly the mass of material fur nished by its field employees, as well as by the consular officers throughout the world. As a result of the funds appropriated by Congress to meet the increased cost of living abroad, the Bureau of Foreign and Domes tic Commerce was able to grant post allowances (which were urgently needed) to the commercial attachés and their secre taries. Even with these increases in income, three of the attachés resigned during the year to accept more remunerative positions in private employ. It has been impossible at many posts to obtain or retain capable secretaries because of the low salary limit imposed by law and the exceptionally high cost of living abroad. The question of obtaining living salaries for the employees of the Coast and Geodetic Survey is a vital one. This bureau was organized in 1816; and is the oldest scientific arm of the Federal Government. At its beginning the entire field force consisted of the Superintendent at a salary of $6,000 per annum and the two or three engineers under him, and necessarily the work, though most important, was comparatively limited in extent. To-day the field extends over and around the entire United States pos sessions, and the field and office force are commensurately greater and the labor far more arduous. The only element that has not largely increased is the recompense of the officers and men. Beginning with the Superintendent, his salary 103 years ago was $6,000 and still remains the same. The hydrographic and geo detic engineers, while receiving slight increases during the past five years, should have years ago been paid salaries as large as those paid officers in the Army and Navy performing similar services. Nearly 20 per cent of the commissioned officers of this service have resigned during the period January 1 to October 1, 1919. These officers give in every case as a reason the fact that they can not live on the wages which the Government pays. As this REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 57 is written, there is published a statement respecting the officers and men of the Navy to the effect that hundreds of naval officers are resigning because of insufficient pay, and an increase is said to be sought in the officers’ pay of 30 per cent and in the pay of seamen of 50 per cent over the present rate. It is earnestly hoped these increased recompenses may be permitted, and that the bill providing for this increase may be amended to include the commissioned personnel of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, as requested by me in a letter dated October 1, 1919, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Further, the bureau has need for many more computers than are now authorized, and the entrance and lower-grade salaries should be made higher. There are portfolios of field observations containing thousands of triangulation and precise leveling obser vations in the archives of the bureau that have never been com puted. Indeed, so inadequate is the computing force of the bureau to meet the present needs, that the expedient has been adopted of putting into print the results from the latest field work and gradually working backward into the old material. If this were not done, the work would be very many years old before it would be put into print. As it is, the public is deprived of the benefits of this information that has cost many years of labor and many thousands of dollars. The cost of the computation and printing would be but a fractional part of the expenditures that have already been made. The publications of the bureau con taining triangulation and precise-level data are issued in a form that is neither satisfactory nor economical. They met conditions that existed years ago. In order to issue the publications, in the form now most useful— that is, so that each of the State publica tions would contain all the data available at the time the publica tion was issued— would require additional computations in the Washington office of the Survey. The instrument makers of the Survey are trained along the lines of a physicist and mechanical engineer, yet these experts, who make the most delicate instruments in the world, arc in some cases paid no higher salaries than a fair clerk, and in no case as high a salary as he would receive in the Navy or Shipping Board. One of the most conspicuous evidences of injustice is the marked discrimination against the clerks. Of the number called “ clerks ” in the Survey nearly half are specialists and have technical knowl edge that is of the greatest value to the Government; yet the plea to have them properly designated and given just and fair 58 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. salaries has thus far gone unnoticed. The request to no longer carry the $720 statutory places has been heard, but this is only a beginning, and until it is realized further in the shape of tangible action, the service must continue to suffer by resignations and inability to fill the places except with incompetent persons. There are but 43 clerks in the Survey, and during the past fiscal year 66 clerks left that service. The bureau’s valuable and highly trained copper engravers have been for years without salary increases, and now their righteous dissatisfaction is evident, and unless action is taken in their behalf the service will permanently suffer. And so on down to the messengers and laborers. A man with ambition will not work for $1.50 or $2 per diem when he can earn $3 somewhere else in the Government service. This bureau has had to hire boys to do men’s work, who on account of age and education are totally unfit to fill the positions, and with such conditions even boys will not stay long. Transportation of Families and Effects of Officers and Employees. It has been very difficult in the past, owing to the small salaries we are able to pay, to secure properly qualified men to take charge of our commercial-attaché offices abroad and to conduct special investigations in the various foreign countries. One of the greatest drawbacks has been the fact that in nearly every case the men selected desire to take their families abroad, especially when they are to remain abroad for an extended period. They also often wish to take at least some household equipment. Under the present scale of salaries we are denied the services of many highly qualified men owing to their financial inability to take with them their families and effects. To meet this situation I am recom mending that Congress allow $50,000 to pay the actual and necessary expenses for transporting families and effects of officers of this Department who are sent abroad on official business. It hardly seems proper to require these men to pay, out of their own pocket and from a small salary, expenses necessitated by Govern ment business, and which would not be otherwise incurred. Transporting Remains of Officers and Employees Dying Abroad. Under present the family of the pense of having occurs at a time conditions, if deaths occur in our force abroad, deceased would have to assume the care and ex the remains returned to this country. This when it is possible the financial affairs of the REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 59 deceased are in such condition that the family would be consider ably embarrassed. The State Department has a fund to provide for such expenses, and I earnestly recommend that provision be made to remove this weakness in our provision for foreign service. An estimate has been submitted to Congress covering this matter. Printing and Binding. The Department’s allotment of the appropriation for printing and binding for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, was $400,000. In addition, the allotment was credited to the extent of $23.47 for miscellaneous blank forms furnished by the Coast and Geodetic Survey to the Chief of Engineers, War Department, thus increasing the amount to $400,023.47. Of this sum $399,961.32 was expended, leaving an unused balance on June 30 of $62.15. From allotments made to the Department from the national security and defense fund there was expended for printing and binding the sum of $5,573.96. The increase in expenditures in 1919, compared with 1918, was $10,583.04 (or 2.68 per cent), the expenditures in 1918 being $394,952.24. During the decennial census period of three years beginning July 1, 1919, the Bureau of the Census will not participate in the Department printing and binding allotment, as the work for that bureau, including the cost of completing operations on its work remaining unfinished at the close of the fiscal year 1919, will be paid for from the appropriation for the Fourteenth Census. The estimated cost of unbilled and uncompleted work of the Depart ment, exclusive of that of the Bureau of the Census, at the Gov ernment Printing Office on July 1, 1919, and chargeable against the allotment for 1920, was $27,117.40, while such work at the Government Printing Office on the same date in 1918 actually cost $43,615.41. Including the work of the Bureau of the Census, the figures for this item for the past two years are as follows: 1919, $64,994.75; 1918, $74,882.95. There was also at the Government Printing Office at the close of the year work for the Department chargeable against the national security and defense fund esti mated to cost $23,266.89. During the fiscal year 1919 the Department issued on the Public Printer 2,460 requisitions for printing and binding, com pared with 2,871 during the preceding fiscal year, a decrease of 411. Of the requisitions issued in 1919 there remained at the close of the fiscal year 174 on which deliveries of completed work had not 6o REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. been made, compared with 501 in 1918, 416 in 19x7, 379 in 1916, 436 in 1915, 355 in 1914, and 344 in 1913. The following table shows the cost of printing and binding for each of the bureaus, offices, and services of the Department during the fiscal years 1918 and 1919, together with the increase or decrease for each bureau, office, and service and the estimated cost of the work on hand but not completed June 30, 1919: I Cost of work. Increase ( 4 -) or decrease ( —). E stim ated cost of completed June 30, 1919 B ureau, office, or service. Office of the Secretary (Secretary, A ssistant Secretary, Solicitor, Chief Clerk, and D ivi sion of Publications)....................................... A ppointm ent D ivision.............................. Disbursing Office............. ^ ........................ Division of Supplies.................................... B ureau of th e C ensus......................................... Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey .............................. B ureau of Fisheries........................................... Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau of Lighthouses...................................... Lighthouse Service...................................... B ureau of N avigation........................................ Shipping Service.......................................... R adio Service............................................... B ureau of S ta n d a rd s.......................................... Office of the Supervising Inspector General, Steam boat-Inspection Service...................... Steam boat-Inspection Service.................. Custom s Service.................................................. i 1918 1919 Cost. P er cent. $18.388.96 $17,112.36 651- 23 364.78 202. 55 Ó4 5 - 3 4 i, 101. 97 —$1,276.60 5-89 + 537-19 + 1 4 1 -7 7 + 17,483-87 —1 5 , 0 0 3 . 14 " 2 , 9 7 0 .3 1 4 \ I , 5 8 l. 28 — 1, 9 9 1 .0 9 4 * 1,136.70 + 3 , 9 5 4 - 12 + 2 , 3 9 5 -4 7 + 188.15 — 3,090. 19 — 6.94 — .90 + 95- il +69.99 4 -x8 . 12 —32.89 —1 9 - 3 3 + 1 -3 3 —IO. 71 +17-64 +30.65 4 - 6 9 . 63 -f42 06 ~ 8 .6 7 — 572.36 + 3 , 3 9 7 - >5 — 897- 04 —3 2 . 51 + 34-6« — 8.93 4 * 5 , 0 0 9 .0 8 4- 96,487-31 43,610.93 15.364- 28 118^617. 02 18,586.42 6 , 4 4 3 - 32 ta. 902. 86 3,44a 4s 4 4 7 - 29 35,638.74 i, 760.34 9 . 7 9 5 -13 3 4 4 -3 2 1 I 3 . 9 7 I- 18 30,607.79 12, 3 9 3 -9 7 120,198. 30 .6 , 5 9 5 - 3 3 7 , s8o. 02 16,856. 98 5,835- 92 635-44 32,548.55 x, 187.98 13,X92. 28 10,05a 63 9 . 153-59 T o tal............................................................ ' 394,952-24 399,961.32 E xpenditures chargeable against allotm ents from the national security an d defense fund: W aste-Reclam ation Service...................... j Ind ustrial Cooperation Service................. :................. In dustrial B o ard .......................................... Im port and export statistic s.................... 1 T o ta l........................ ................................ G rand to ta l............................................... !| 3 9 4 . 9 5 2-2 4 684. 20 4* I. 27 *3 5 1 - 16 58. 22 37,877.35 6,456. 30 1» 738- 70 13. 4 1 7 -9 4 I 9 t - 1.1 4 4 - 55 109. 93 170. 84 3-288. 9 5 3X 6 . OO 9 7 3 -6 8 a 64,9 9 4 - 75 684.20 4,854-43 3 5 - 33 + 4.854-43 + 3 5 -3 3 4-100.00 4-100.00 10,000. 00 5. 573-96 + 4 -xoo. 00 23, 266. 89 2.68 88,261.64 13,266. 89 4 0 5 , 5 3 5 - 28 5 , 5 7 3 -9 6 4 -10,583.04 4- a Of th is am o u n t $37,877-35 *s f°r worh ordered b y th e B ureau of th e Census, which will be paid for from the appropriation for th e F ou rteen th Census an d will not be chargeable against the D epartm ent’s allotm ent for printing and b inding for 1920. The amount and cost of each class of work during the fiscal years 1918 and 1919 are shown in the following statement: 6l REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Class. 1918 1919 N um ber. B lank form s............................................................................... 25.605, 702 Reports, pam phlets, e tc .......................................................... 4*560,340 L etterheads................................................................................ 3,360,000 58,000 Envelopes................................................................................... 1,562,625 Circulars, sum m aries, an d notices....................................... 1,318,500 Index cards................................................................................ Guide cards and folders........................................................... 151.817 M emorandum sheets............................................................... 2, 240,000 74.578 B lank books............................................................................... 2,819 Miscellaneous books (b in d in g ).............................................. C o st. Blank form s............................................................................... $52,441-17 Reports, pam phlets, e tc ......................................................... 305,761.33 L etterheads................................................................................ 5,380.60 Envelopes................................................................................... 146.97 Circulars, sum m aries, and notices....................................... 4,083.13 Index cards................................................................................ 1,153-60 2, 779. 80 Guide cards and folders.......................................................... M emorandum sheets............................................................... 2,122.46 Blank books............................................................................... 14,348.41 Miscellaneous books (b in d in g ).............................................. 6,055.63 Miscellaneous............................................................................. 679.14 T o ta l................................................................................. 3 9 4 .9 5 2 -3 4 N um ber. 25,801,745 3.601,129 3,464,000 4.324*50° 236,700 i ,706,700 265,700 2,630,000 69,629 3,288 C o st. $58,650.45 305.279. 76 6,253-41 1 , 7 5 4 -2 1 I , 703.62 2,167.73 1 .7 9 2 .9 S 1,832.86 20,022.95 5,116.37 960.94 4 0 S , 5 3 5 - 28 Increase ( + ) or de crease ( —). P e r c e n t. N um ber. 0. 77 196,043 421-03 9 5 9 . a ii + 104,000 + 3* 10 +4,266,500 +7,356.03 — , 3 2 5 .9 2 5 84-8s 29. 44 + 388,200 + l6 6 ,II 7 38-47 + 3 9 0 ,0 0 0 + 1 7 -4 1 183.30 + 4 S.OSI + ifi- 83 5 31 + C o st. P e r c e n t. n-82 + $6,209.28 + . 16 481.57 872.81 + 16. 22 + + 1,607. 24 + 1 0 9 3 -58 - 2 , 3 7 9 -5 1 58.28 87.91 + 1 , 0 1 4 - 13 + 986.82 3 5 - 50 18. 18 389. 60 + 5.674 - 5 4 + 3 9 - 55 9 3 9 -26 1 5 -Si 41.49 28I. 80 + + + 10,583.04 + 2.68 The following table summarizes the publication work of each bureau of the Department for the fiscal years 1918 and 1919: Bureau or office. Office of the Secretary...................... Bureau of the Census........................ Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey ............. Bureau of F isheries.......................... Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com m erce........................................ Bureau of L ighthouses................... Bureau of N avigation...................... Bureau of S ta n d a rd s........................ Steam boat-Inspection Service....... T o ta l......................................... .Services for which expenditures were chargeable against allotm ents from th e n ational security and defense fund: Industrial Cooperation Service T o ta l......................... Grand total ............................ Publica tions. Copies printed for D epartm ent. Pages. Cost.o 1918 1918 19x9 1918 1919 19x8 19*9 1919 70 82 2,860 2,212 231.050 964,350 $6,909-31 $12.947-92 83 49 4.528 17,282 427,87s 2X5,35° 73.150-95 86,301. 14 ss 40 5.378 3.4S8 93.600 88.050 37-775-82 26.927.71 91 65 2.852 I,808 981■ 840 159-35° 13,833-.8 6,014-94 544 554 16,373 17.519 2.235,850 2,368,900 107.35938 1141848.02 too 93 3.5X7 2,91° 309,050 327.65° 19,129.So 16,521. XO r6 8 1,576 2.047 22.065 25,025 12,435-29 15.°97-34 is* 104 4.591 5.169 238,95° 215.15° 23,15469 19,180.87 24 21 970 886 263,900 274.900 6,634.33 8,600.85 1,141 I,Ol6 42,644 S3-29" 4.8O4.l80 4,638 72s 300,382. 7s 306,440-49 a I 4.822. 70 3,000 6 3 ,0 0 0 447 1,141 1,0X9 42,644 53.138 4,804,lS0 4.701.725 300.382.75 3iX.896.24 4O8 ~ * Figures relate to publications actually delivered to th e Department, during th e year; consequently they do not agree w ith sim ilar figures in a preceding tab le giving th e cost of work done b y the G overnm ent Printing Office d uring th e fiscal year. F req u en tly th e cost of a publication is charged against allotm ents for tw o or more fiscal years. 62 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. More than 75 per cent of the allotment for printing and binding for the Department is expended for publications of various kinds, and to keep such expenditures within due bounds careful editing and preparation of manuscripts are necessary. This work re quires not only long experience and careful training, but a certain degree of natural aptitude on the part of editorial clerks. Owing to the limited salaries available, it has not always, or even as a rule, been possible to procure and retain the best talent in this line. A great deal has been accomplished, however, by the De partment’s editorial clerks, whose knowledge of matters having to do with the production of books has resulted in many economies. At the same time much attention has been given to the matter of mproving the character of publications. The volume of work now devolving on the few editorial clerks in the Division of Publications is so great that all of it can not possibly be given the attention that it requires. Every folio of manuscript should be carefully read, edited, and prepared before being forwarded to the Government Printing Office, and every proof should be revised as carefully before being returned to the printer. To do this work properly would require several addi tional clerks, and the Department’s personnel estimates for 1921 will include an increase in the editorial and proof-reading force of the division. It is believed that the results would abundantly justify the increased expenditure. The Department issues annually, with monthly supplements, a pamphlet containing a complete list of its publications available either for free distribution by the Department or by purchase from the Superintendent of Documents. The free distribution of many of the publications of the Department is limited, the mis cellaneous distribution being made through the Superintendent of Documents on a sales basis. On January x, 1919, under special authority of Congress (sec. 4, act of June 20, 1918), the light and buoy lists issued by the Bureau of Lighthouses were placed on a sales basis, the free distribution being confined to official uses. The following statement gives the number of copies of the pub lications of the Department sold by the Superintendent of Docu ments during 1918 and 1919 and the amount received from such sales: REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Copies. 63 Receipts. Sales. T o ta l................................................................................. a 1918 « 1919 1918 0 1919 a ,884.213 2.478,186 116,465 $15,921.04 16,965. 75 $19.451. 20 90.047 2.974.260 2,594.651 32,8*6. 79 42.550.94 2 3 . 099- 74 Prelim inary figures. Coast pilots, inside route pilots, tide tables, and charts are sold by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, receipts from these sales being $24,620.71 in 1919 and $20,194.19 in 1918. Thus, the total re ceipts from sales of publications of the Department was $67,171.65 in 1919 and $53,080.98 in 1918. During the last fiscal year 3,800,503 publications and printed circulars of the Department were distributed to the public through the Division of Publications, compared with 3,863,594 during the fiscal year 1918. There were received and acted on during the year 57,738 requests for 419,689 copies of publications, compared with 61,538 requests for 568,703 copies in 1918. Mailing lists for use in sending typewritten or multigraphed information, as well as publications, are maintained by the Department. On July 1, 1919, there were 349 of such lists, containing 285,928 names. During the year the Department expended $2,969.21 for adver tising for proposals for furnishing supplies of various kinds, for construction work, and for the purchase of condemned property. “ International Price Comparisons” Publication. The War Industries Board had compiled valuable information on the subject of international price comparisons, but about the time this data was in such shape that it was ready for publication the board ceased to exist. The Department published it under the above title, in view of its importance to the commerce and industry of the country. Motor-Vehicle Equipment. The motor-vehicle equipment of that part of the Department in the Commerce Building has been increased by one 500-pound truck for light hauling and special-delivery work. 64 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The following table shows the operation data for the fiscal year 1919 relating to this equipment: 500 lîo im d tru c k . 1 , 50 0 Pound tru ck . 2 ,0 0 0 pound tru ck . i- c y lin 2 - c y lin d e r m o t o r d e r m o to r c y c le . c y c le . M i l e a g e ................................................................................................................ 5 » 743 8 ,6 1 7 1 1 ,5 0 4 3 .0 9 8 O p e r a t i n g d a y s ............................................................................................ 168 3or 288 129 43 A v e r a g e m i l e s p e r d i e m ........................................................................ 3 4 - 18 2 8 .6 3 3 9 - 94 24. 03 23- 26 i . 000 G a s o l i n e c o n s u m p t i o n ( g a l l o n s ) .................................................... 438 967 1 *3 4 -’ 80 55 M i l e s p e r g a l l o n o f g a s o l i n e ................................................................ x.V IX 8 .9 1 8* 57 3 6 73 18 . 18 C y l i u d e r - o i l c o n s u m p t i o n ( g a l l o n s ) ............................................ 12. 88 6 3 .1 9 71 . 56 6 .3 I I- *3 M i l e s p e r g a l l o n o f o i l ............................................................................. 4 4 5 - 89 1 3 6 .3 7 I6O. 76 49O. 9 7 884. 96 Stock and Shipping Section. There were received and filled by the stock and shipping section during the year 7,079 requisitions for supplies of all kinds, of which 2,918 were for the offices and bureaus of the Department located in Washington and 4,161 were for the outside services. Of the total number of requisitions received 1,896 were for blank forms, 551 were for printed stationery, and 4,632 were for miscellaneous stationery supplies. Filling the 4,161 requisitions for the outside services required the packing and shipping of 6,457 pieces, weighing 201,438 pounds, or nearly 100% tons, of which 4,957 pieces, weighing 112,026 pounds, were sent by ordinary mail, 214 pieces, weighing 1,363 pounds, were sent by registered mail, and 1,286 pieces, weighing 88,049 pounds, were sent by freight or express. The following table show's the number of books and blanks sent to each of the outside services during the year: Service. Custom s Service (B ureau of N avigation and Foreign and Domestic Commerce). B lank books. 9 ,4 7 4 204 11,652 B lank forms. 1,805,801 509,4x7 772, 9 3 * B ureau of Navigation: 357 216,761 418 T o tal............................................................................................................................... 249,7 9 ? 230, 960 116, 205 653,183 164,255 4 ,25 2,752 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 65 The following statement gives the quantity of each class of printed stationery supplied during the year: Letterheads.............................. 855,500 1 Blank forms.............................. 383,672 Memorandum sheets............... 2,936,000 ! Index cards.............................. 1,572,400 Embossed letterheads............. 7, 500 Guide cards................................. 179,150 Stenographers’ notebooks....... 3, 676 j Vertical folders......................... 75,300 Blank books............................. 6, 702 Continuation sheets.................... 497,000 Department Library, The activities of the Department’s library included the acquisi tion of 2,244 bound volumes and 562 pamphlets, compared with 3,396 volumes and 926 pamphlets for the previous year. In addition, about 1,500 books were carded and filed. Duplicates disposed of numbered 2,250 and 574 books were oorrowed from the Library of Congress and other libraries. Weekly and monthly periodicals were currently received, recorded, and sent to divisions of the various bureaus. The reference work is increasing daily and the library is in constant use by the bureaus. During the year the library has been of great assistance to other departments and Government establishments in connection with research work incident to war activities. Division of Supplies. The Division of Supplies handled 2,787 requisitions during the year, and the clerical work in connection therewith included the writing of 4,446 orders and 7,040 invoices, and the issuance of 2,158 sets of proposals. Supplies ordered through the division during the fiscal year reached a total value of $198,361.85, and 4,324 vouchers were audited for payment. Receipts from the sale of old and condemned furniture, office equipment, and miscellaneous other property of no other use to the Department amounted to $216.08. The cost of the 273 new typewriters purchased during the year was $18,124. Deducting the allowance on old machines of $2,218.50, shows a total net cost of $15,905.50, and an average of $58.26 each. State Fair Exhibits. This Department’s participation in a joint Government exhibit for the summer and fall State fairs was necessarily restricted through lack of any fund from which expense of preparing exhibits could be paid. The agricultural appropriation bill pro vides a fund for exhibit work, but this fund is limited entirely 140261—19----- 5 66 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. to that Department. However, the Bureaus of Standards, Fish eries, and Lighthouses, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the Steamboat-Inspection Service contributed such material as was in their possession. Because of the unusual educational value of such activities, appropriation should be made for real work along this line. Liberty Loans. The employees of the Department have done their part nobly and patriotically toward financing the war. The number of sub scribers and the total subscriptions for each loan are shown in the following table: S ub scribers. a, 5*6 3 >3 7 7 4 .7 9 3 Victory L iberty L o a n ........................................................................................................ Total in b o n d s.......................................................................................................... S, 8.9 4,607 S ub scriptions. $500,850.00 604, 700.00 607, 550- 00 883,650. 00 846; 050. 00 3,442,800. 00 **5>430.03 The sales of War Savings and Thrift Stamps cover a period of 18 months, January i, 1918, to June 30, 1919. The stamps are being regularly purchased by the employees, there being wellorganized committees in each bureau to handle and promote their sale. Contributions. The employees contributed liberally during the year to the numerous drives for the Red Cross, United War Work Campaign, Relief in the Near East, the Victory Memorial Building, and other worthy and patriotic causes. Employees’ Relief Association. On April 16, 1919, the U. S. Department of Commerce Imme diate Relief Association was organized, its object being to make immediate payment in cash to the family on the death of a member. Two death benefits have already been paid, both within an hour after notification of death, and the relief furnished was prompt and substantial. REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 67 Purchase of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. I renew the recommendation made in my reports for 1915, 1916, 1917, and on page 44 of my report for 1918, that the Government should purchase Dutch Harbor, the abandoned village of the North American Commercial Co. in Alaska. Abolition of the Official Register. The recommendation made on page 44 of mv annual report for last year, for the abolition of the the Official Register, provided for by House bill 2354, is renewed. This publication represents a waste of paper and labor, since tire purpose for which it was intended is no longer served by it. The card system for which the measure provides would be less expensive and far more efficient. Work of the Solicitor’s Office. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, 217 contracts, totaling $1,541,221, together with 18 contracts of indeterminate amounts; 91 leases, amounting to $423,938; 20 revocable licenses amounting to $3,801; 2 deeds in the sum of $3,305; 108 contract bonds, amounting to $323,796; 115 official bonds, amounting to $590,500; and insurance policies amounting to $137,400 were examined (approved, disapproved, drafted, redrafted, or modified). The number of legal opinions rendered, formal and informal (memorandum), totaled 258. Legislative matters handled, which concern the Department of Commerce (drafting and redrafting of bills, reports relative thereto, etc.) numbered 366. In addition, 1,534 miscellaneous matters, embracing everything submitted for the advice or suggestion of the Solicitor, or for the formulation of departmental action, not included in the foregoing items, were handled by this office. Development of Waterways. I renew the suggestion that every economic, military, and naval argument urges the earliest possible development of a Govern ment-owned waterway connecting all the great cities of our Atlan tic seaboard with one another, with the New York State water ways reaching to the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, and wit It all the railroad terminals along our eastern coast. An important step forward in this connection has been the beginning of condemnation proceedings for acquiring the Cape Cod Canal. This was done, pursuant to the act of Congress 68 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. (Public No. 37, 65th Cong.) approved August 8, 1917, which pro vided that the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of Commerce should examine and appraise the value of the works and franchises of the Cape Cod Canal with reference to the advisability of the purchase of the canal. The Secretary of War was authorized, if all the Secretaries mentioned were in favor of the acquisition, to enter into negotiations for its purchase. The three Secretaries having concurred in a recommendation that the purchase was desirable, the Secretary of War caused con demnation proceedings to be begun on January 30, 1919. Bills are now pending (S. 2083 and S. 862), providing for the acquisi tion and operation of the canal by the Government, which have been approved by this Department. It remains to recite the brief but effective service of several branches of the Department’s work undertaken during the fiscal year which have ceased to exist. Industrial Board. The Industrial Board of the Department of Commerce was organized with a view to expediting the process of commercial readjustment. When it was formed prices were in a state of flux. The general expectation in the business world was that prices were, in the near future, to fall and every one hesitated to purchase lest they should buy upon a falling market. It was a voluntary organization of business men composed of seven members, three representing, respectively, the Railroad Administration, the Department of Commerce, and the Depart ment of Labor, and four representatives of industry. Under the then existing circumstances the board undertook to promote general confidence and hasten the revival of trade by securing the voluntary assent of industries to reductions in prices which were to be such, however, as did not involve either reducing the wages of labor or closing down those individual factories whose efficiency was not as great as the larger ones and who were generally known as “ high-cost producers.” The board succeeded in obtaining the assent of the steel industry and of other considerable industries, and marked reductions in prices of steel were announced and recommended to the Govern ment purchasing departments. From these recommendations the Railroad Administration dissented, thinking the prices recom mended too high. The final refusal of the Railroad Administra tion to accept the recommendations of the board resulted in the REPORT OK THE SECRETARY OK COMMERCE. 69 resignation of the board, which ceased to exist on May 9, 1919. The reduced prices which have been arranged with other industries were never promulgated for this reason. Since then the Railroad Administration has purchased (under protest) steel rails at the prices recommended by the board. Industrial Cooperation Service. On January 1, 1919, the Industrial Cooperation Service was formed to take over certain peace-time functions of the War Industries Board. Your approval on December 3, 1918, of my request for $100,000 from the fund for the national security and defense made it possible to carry on this work during the last six months of the fiscal year. While some of the work had been developed by the War Industries Board, it was carried on there in a restrictive and administrative way, while the Industrial Coopera tion Service’s policy was promotive and cooperative. Generally speaking, the Service established a focal point in the Government for the discussion of business and industrial problems. As the work progressed the problems fell within well-defined classes; i. e., those concerned with the standardization of products; those concerned with the search for outlets for waste products and the commercial development of new products; and those concerned with plans for minimizing business abuses. It also acted for this Department with other Government departments in the considera tion of industrial matters. The Service was asked in numerous different cases to seek outlets for by-products or waste products of various industries. The most striking example was the development of the uses of cottonseed-hull fiber, hitherto practically a waste product of the cottonseed-oil industry. Three uses for the fiber were developed: (1) As an insulator for fireless cookers, incubators, etc.; (2) as a binder in the manufacture of composition soles for shoes; (3) as a material for making paper. It also found an outlet for cotton linters, used so extensive^ during the war. Cooperating with the War Department, the Bureau of Standards of this Department, and the Forest Products Sendee of the Department of Agriculture, this Service demon strated that linters could be used to make a good grade of book paper, and a number of mills have started to work along these lines. 7° REPORT OK THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. At the request of the Secretary of State this Service investigated the possibilities of starting a submarine telegraph-cable industry in the United States. The reports of the Service were valuable in the consideration of the proposed Government trans-Pacific cable, provided for in Senate bill 1651. One of the important duties of the Industrial Cooperation Service was cooperation with business organizations in formulating plans for minimizing what are known as ‘‘ trade abuses.” A t the request of the pub lishers of books and the National Credit Men’s Association the “ returned-goods ” question was studied. The lowest estimate ever made as to the cost to American business of the unjustifiable return of merchandise was $25,000,000 annually. This loss, of course, is borne by the ultimate purchaser. The Book Publishers' Association’s problems were treated to the satisfaction of all concerned. The larger general problem of the unjustifiable return of merchandise had to be dropped in its early stages be cause Congress did not appropriate money for the continuance of this Service. In every instance the assistance rendered by this Service was requested by the industry or business concerned and its activities embraced many fields. The Service provided an admirable place in the Government where business men could come and discuss their difficulties and be assured of sympathetic attention. The refusal of Congress to provide the sum of $56,000 for the con tinuance of this productive organization necessitated the con clusion of its activities on June 30, 1919. Waste-Reclamation Service. Organized to meet a vital war emergency, resulting from a shortage of war materials, the Waste-Reclamation Service ren dered very valuable permanent service during its short existence, in beginning the campaign of education necessary to get the American people in the habit of saving the many things that they have been throwing away. Its chief function was that of education, the action resting with the State and subdivisions thereof, as the advantage accrued to them. Through speeches, publications, and specific advice by letter when so requested, and all the other means open in matters of this kind, this Service sought to aid in the reclamation of waste inorganic materials. By the proper disposal of ashes, garbage, etc., by the communities, not only the materials themselves would be made of use again, . REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 71 but there would be a surplus of money receipts that would reduce taxes proportionately. The system of disposing by public sale of unused war materials, now being used, was suggested by this Service. Through its initiation and efforts a drive was launched, in conjunction with the Treasury Department, for the saving of materials usually destroyed in the annual clean-up compaign, and payment made therefor in Government Thrift Stamps rather than cash. The Salvage Division of New England estimated that $250,000 worth of Thrift Stamps would be dispersed by this method during the months of May and June. A new method of handling waste tin cans was also investigated and called to the attention of the country. The old system of handling these cans emphasized the redemption of the tin re moved from the can, while the new system deheads the can and uses the tin in a flat form. Besides reducing the cost of handling the cans, this method increases by about 300 per cent the return to the contractor. As a means of advising other communities how to proceed, the Akron Industrial Salvage Co. (Inc.), a community waste-saving system, was investigated and a report made covering its operation. Over 15,000 copies of the first edition of this publication were distributed in two weeks and several communities were, after looking into the subject, ready to launch similar systems wheh this Service had to be discontinued. An investigation of the present means of disposing of waste paper in Government services was made through the courtesy of the Public Printer, and the report, which was published as House document 87, Sixty-sixth Congress, first session, showed that in the year 1918 the Government should have received at least $86,869.35 niore for its waste paper than under the contract price. The report also made definite recommendations which, if carried out, would secure from $50,000 to $100,000 annually additional from this source. At the request of the Wool Stock Graders’ Association this Service released to the press a statement dealing with the value of shoddy and recommended that the interested associations con fer with a joint committee to be composed of representatives of the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, with the idea of establishing tests for the evaluation of woolen fabrics. The in terest shown by several organizations established the constructive 72 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. value of the statement, and steps were taken to organize the joint committee. At about that time the Service had to be discon tinued on account of lack of funds. Tests were being made to determine the method for utilizing old shoes. This problem was pressing, and demanded immediate study, but also had to be discontinued. A study of the Army system of garbage segregation as a means of elimination of waste in the preparation of food was in the course of preparation. It is believed that the Army system can be applied to all institutions. An American machine used by the British army was being studied with the idea of recommending that a machine of this type be installed in the institutions for the recovery of fat. A training course for salvage managers had been outlined and one institution was prepared to institute such a course as soon as this Service had developed the field. Plans for the development of an association of salvage managers had been drawn up and sub mitted to several leaders in this field for consideration. The refusal of Congress to appropriate $25,000 in order that this productive work might be carried on necessitated the disbanding of the Service on June 30,. 1919. It will be noted that in one item alone— the study of conditions governing the disposal of waste in the Government Printing Office— a saving of from $50,000 to $100,000 per annum could have been made, which would have paid the cost of the entire Service for two years. Introduction of New Fish Food by the Bureau of Fisheries. It seems most extraordinary that at this time of high prices for all matters entering into the cost of living, and when urgent pressure is being exerted to add, because of sore need, to the ani mal food supply of the world, a work which was successfully developing large quantities of unused, nutritious, and cheap foods should be deliberately cut off. It is, therefore, with deep regret on behalf of many thousands of our population living in crowded centers along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts and on the shores of the Great Lakes, that I saw the refusal of Congress to grant the sum of $15,000 to main tain the small but effective staff of our persons that have been suc cessfully engaged in the work of introducing new, abundant, and cheap fish foods, available in large quantities, but either unused or little used. Such fishes, for example, as the Pacific mackerel, the ordinary cod, and the so-called black cod, or sable fish, in the REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 73 same ocean, find as yet a limited market. The same is true of the burbot and the bowfin of the Great Lakes, and of the whiting of the Atlantic. There are many others. It appears to have been the case that this productive work, having begun during the war, was assumed to be strictly war work, whereas the daily evidence to every housewife in the land of the price she must pay for food is itself witness that the continuance of this work is needed. It is difficult for me to understand the mental processes whereby so small a sum as $15,000 was refused for so great a work and one that bore so directly upon the homes and happiness of many times ten thousand people who feel the pressure of current prices. The work had received nothing but praise, which wras well deserved. Economy of the sort which stops an effort to bring cheap and abun dant food to the knowledge of our people, and forces them, with out this knowledge, to buy high-priced foods, is of a curious type. The matter was brought by me personally before the Appropria tions Committees of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and its peculiar importance at this time was urged upon them, but in both cases without success. Feeling, however, that the subject could not have been fully understood, it was brought before the attention of the House of Representatives by a letter dated July 19, 1919, which forms House Document No. 155, Sixty-sixth Congress, first session, and is printed in full, with in closures, in an Appendix B to this report, in connection with the discussion of another subject. Subsequent to this the matter was again brought before the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives by the Commissioner of Fisheries on September 2, 1919. No appropriation, however, has been made. One is at a loss to understand the reasoning, if it be such, which leads to cutting off three productive services at a time when their results were effectively helping the solution of a concededly difficult situation. The Industrial Cooperation Service was not an expense to the country, neither was the Waste-Reclamation Service, still less tire food demonstration work of the Fisheries Service. On the contrary, these three Services produced wealth. The country was the richer for every month in which they operated. The country is poorer for their stoppage. There is less food to-day available because the Fisheries demonstration work has ceased. Products that are valuable are being wasted in great quantities and values because the Waste-Reclamation Service no longer exists. For lack of the Industrial Cooperation Service pro 74 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. duction now so sorely needed is, in many places, either delayed or hampered or rendered more expensive for lack of the mutual, helpful touch that Service provided. There is no doubt of these facts. They are denied by no one. The psychology seems to have been that anything that was born during the war was warlike, in its nature unfitted for peace, extravagant. No discrimination seems to have been made ip favor of services which, coming into existence during the war, yet were meant for peace. The besom of destruction was laid upon them. They have been destroyed without regard to their pro ductiveness or their advantage to the country. This, naturally, leads to the suggestion that Congress makes no difference between productive and unproductive services. It does not practically recognize the difference between expenditure and investment. It adds no force, so far as my experience goes, to demonstrate that the money expended in one case pro duces a direct profit to the Nation as a whole. It is all treated as expense alike. It is all regarded as something to be cut away, if it be possible, and men who have by careful forethought devel oped services to a self-sustaining basis are discouraged to find that their efforts not only bring no thanks or appreciation, but that, if the facts concerning them are not disbelieved, they are at least ignored. Just as the system which Congress uses in dealing with un expended balances is calculated to promote, and does, in fact, promote, the avoidance of such balances by the deliberate spending at the close of the fiscal year of all available balances for any proper use, so the failure to discriminate between productive and unproductive services directly encourages looseness of admin istration and leads men to become careless as to whether their work is profitable or not. The public in no small measure takes its mental cue from the attitude of Congress, reflected through the press, and assumes all Government appropriations to mean expense, and would be surprised to learn the extent to which many of them are profitable investments. The motor-vessel fleet of the Bureau of Navigation, of the Department of Commerce, costs the Government nothing; instead it has turned into the Treasury, through mitigated fines, a sum sufficient to pay the original cost of the motor vessels and their maintenance, with a surplus. The Bureau of Navigation tself gathers, through the medium of the collectors of customs, navigation taxes which far more than cover its entire outlay. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 75 The value at current cash prices of the fish rescued by the seining parties of the Bureau of Fisheries from the overflowed ponds of the Mississippi River between St. Paul and New Orleans is more than sufficient to pay the entire expense of maintaining the 52 fish hatcheries of that service and to present their entire work of producing over seven billion small fish and fish fry per annum as a clean gift to the Nation, free of all expense. In an industrial corporation the outlook is always toward the productiveness of expenditure; in the Government services the productiveness of the expenditure is almost or quite ignored. It may be said, indeed, that the assumption is that all the services are deemed to return to their value in work, else they would not be permitted to exist. If this be so, what shall be said in favor of those services which not only do return their value in work, but in so doing return into the Treasury in cash more than their cost of operation? These, under private management, would be deliberately and necessarily encouraged. These, under public management, are, so far as my experience goes, given no special consideration. BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE. (P hilip B . K e n n e d y , Director.) The decisive factor iii the work of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce during the fiscal year 1919 was the signing, on November 11, of the armistice between Germany and the allied powers. By that event the year was divided into two distinct periods characterized by divergent aims. It may be said with truth that the termination of hostilities in Europe altered, as by an abrupt shock, the aspect of the commercial world and the trend of all activities in trade promotion. With the achievement of the great goal, tremendous forces were immediately relaxed, recently created mechanisms were divested of their purpose, and the need arose for diverting to new channels the energies that had been devoted to the winning of the war. While the armies were still struggling on the western front, private interests were subordinated to the national cause. Trade regulations and restrictions that ordinarily would have been considered shackling were met in a spirit of willing sacrifice. Under circumstances such as these the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce aided in every possible way the war organizations 01 the Government and recognized that its researches in foreign markets should be considered as preparation for the change that would inevitably come with the laying down of arms. The conclusion of the armistice produced a striking change. Dangerous sea lanes became safe again. Artificial economic barriers were gradually let down. New States arose, with freedom of entrance for the investigator and the salesman. In Europe “ reconstitution” became the potent word. Provinces had been devastated; industries had been wrecked; the whole normal course of existence had been warped or stifled or turned to alien ends. There was the menace of starvation. Stocks were depleted. Machinery that had supplied the wants of millions lay in twisted heaps of useless rubbish. And, for replenishment, the nations which had suffered looked to the United States. Here, then, was a situation representing at once commercial opportunity and social duty. To Europe the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce has sent many men to study the needs of the people and the best means of satisfying them. 76 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 77 Since the armistice American producers have been free to resume their trade in South America, the Far East, the Near East, and the many countries where the war emergency had involved a slackening of our effort, and a further incentive is given by the urgent desirability of providing new outlets for the manu facturing facilities called into being by the war. As the industries of the war-racked European nations revive— as adjustments are effected and secure economic bases are evolved— those nations will reach out beyond the seas to find markets for their wares. American exporters will find their path no easy one. They will need the firmest resolve, the most efficient methods, and, above all, the most accurate knowledge. This knowledge it is the function of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce to supply. American producers should not enter new fields in any groping or hesitant way; they must be equipped with infor mation as comprehensive as it is practical, as pertinent as it is sound. In the gathering and disseminating of such essential facts, the Bureau is proving signally useful to American business. Its aim is to stimulate, to vitalize, and, with patience and con tinuous application, to smooth the way for export trade. It is expanding and driving ahead with a clear comprehension of the object sought. Its present opportunity is remarkable; and it may be expected to respond with effective sendee. Unprecedented Totals for American Foreign Trade. During the fiscal year 1919 new high marks were established for both the import and the export trade of the United States. Imports of merchandise totaled $3,095,876,582, as compared with $2,945,655,403 in 1918 and $2,659,355,185 in 1917. Domestic exports amounted to $7,074,011,529, as against $5,838,652,057 in 1918 and $6,227,164,050 in 1917. Not considering reexports of foreign goods, the visible balance of trade in favor of the United States on merchandise transactions for the year just ended was $3,978,134,947, a figure never approached in the commerce of any nation in the history of the world. The exports of domestic and foreign merchandise to the several grand divisions during the fiscal year 1919 were as follows: Europe, $4,634,816,841; North America, $1,291,932,342; South America, $400,901,601; Asia, $603,924,548; Oceania, $208,351,493; Africa, $85,157,432, making a total of $7,225,084,257. 78 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Letters of Appreciation Show Practical Results Accomplished. That the services of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com merce have contributed appreciably to the great growth of Ameri can trade with all parts of the world is shown by the many un solicited letters of commendation received— communications tell ing of large sales effected through the bureau’s aid, mentioning the receipt of data satisfying specific needs, and expressing grati fication at the essentially practical and productive character of the work performed. And it is to be remembered in this connec tion that the concrete results brought directly to the bureau’s attention doubtless represent only a small fraction of the trade development that may fairly be attributed to its efforts. Period of Readjustment in Commercial-Attaché Service. The bureau’s commercial-attaché service the past year has under gone a period of readjustment. War work continued up to the signing of the armistice, while immediately thereafter plans were made for the resumption of the normal activities of trade promotion and investigation. The readjustment period, however, brought its own special problems. For example, in Argentina, Brazil, Japan, and Australia the representatives have been busy with the diffi culties involved in the sudden arrival of goods far in excess of immediate needs. Through their efforts the situation was handled effectively without loss to importers, exporters, or bankers. In England, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark the attachés have had to deal with questions arising out of the relaxa tion and modification of war-time trade restrictions. An important development in connection with the commercialattaché service was the sending out of trade commissioners to con duct general investigations under the direction and supervision of the commercial attachés. Early in the fiscal year Herman G. Brock was sent to London to assist Commercial Attaché Kennedy in carrying on the strictly commercial activities that were neces sarily being pushed aside by the war work. Mr. Brock furnished the bureau with timely reports and was also able to assist Mr. Kennedy materially. Shortly after the armistice the Department of Commerce recog nized the necessity for a greatly increased force in Europe to keep in the closest possible touch with important developments and trade tendencies. The President allotted $200,000 from the fund for national security and defense, and by the latter part of February trade commissioners and clerks were dispatched to Europe. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 79 Ten trade commissioners worked on general investigations directly under the supervision of the commercial attachés. Their investigations covered a wide variety of commercial, financial, and industrial subjects. Activities of Attachés in Europe. Coming now to a consideration of the commercial-attaché posts themselves, the London office should be mentioned first. Com mercial Attaché Philip B. Kennedy was engaged in war work in addition to the normal activities of his office. Besides handling mineral and tin problems for the War Trade Board and aiding the War Department in the purchase of urgently needed materials, Mr. Kennedy took over during the latter part of the year the entire handling of the Swedish iron-ore and Norwegian molybdenum contracts, for which the President put at the disposal of the Secretary of Commerce $6,000,000 from the fund for national security and defense. Mr. Kennedy has cooperated closely with the ambassador and the consul general in the matter of British import restrictions. One of the most important features of the work in London during the year was the cooperation between the office of the commercial attaché and the American Chamber of Commerce in London. The attaché was an ex officio member of the trade information committee, and his office was represented at its weekly meetings. The office in London made first-hand investigations of markets for American products. For example, the possibilities for the sale of American cottonseed-hull fiber were carefully analyzed. Through the commercial attaché American producers of dyestuffs were put in touch with officials of the Italian Government. Mr. Kennedy represented the United States unoffi cially at the Interallied Parliamentary Conference held in London, July 2 to 4, 1918, and submitted reports upon the deliberations of the conference. During April Commercial Attaché Kennedy returned to the United States to confer with the officials of the bureau and meet business men interested in post-war conditions in England. The customary tour of commercial centers was made and many conferences held. As a result of an invitation extended through Mr. Kennedy to the Chamber of Commerce of the United States in behalf of the Associated Chambers of Com merce in Great Britain, the former body decided to bring to this country in the early fall, for a discussion of industrial and financial reconstruction problems, commercial delegations from the allied nations in Europe. In July, 1919, Mr. Kennedy was appointed Director of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. 8o REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Pierce C. Williams accompanied to Paris the War Trade Board representative and, under his direction, organized and operated for several months the American office of the Interallied Contingent Commission and continued to assist, to an extent, in the work of the War Trade Board. He submitted timely and valuable reports on such subjects as French industrial reconstruction, the formation of consortiums and comptoirs, import restrictions, and cooperative selling by American interests. He made an investigation of eco nomic conditions in Switzerland. Mr. Williams resigned to enter private employ, and Chauncey Depew Snow, formerly Assistant Chief of the Bureau, was appointed commercial attaché and took charge in Paris March 24, 1919. Mr. Snow also has kept in inti mate touch with reconstruction problems. Tariff questions and changes in import restrictions have been closely followed. The attaché has cooperated with the Rhineland High Commission, the officials in charge of the sale of Army supplies and equipment, and the Supreme Economic Council, as well as with the American Chamber of Commerce. As an example of the tangible results accomplished by Mr. Snow, I may mention the assistance given to individual import applications for American goods, even to the extent of preventing the confiscation of such goods. At the beginning of the fiscal year Commercial Attaché Erwin W. Thompson was in London, continuing the work with the War Trade Board begun in March. He returned to Copenhagen in July and resumed his intensive study of the Scandinavian and German press. This study and daily contact with commercial and financial men throughout the Baltic region enabled him to furnish authoritative reports on economic subjects. Through one of his reports the United States Shipping Board was enabled to obtain from a Danish factory large Diesel engines urgently needed. Mr. Thompson worked out plans for financing ship ments of American cotton and other commodities into the new Baltic countries by a system of dividing up the credits between the American shipper and the Danish institutions :n a way that keeps the American shipper always secured by safe shipping or warehouse documents. Other special activities included an investigation of textile substitutes, a study of methods to be used in reconciliation of trade disputes, a survey of Scandinavian sources of supply of foodstuffs and other products for the American Expeditionary Force, and inquiries as to the establishment of an American chamber of commerce in Copenhagen. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 8l During the entire year Commercial Attaché Paul L. Rchvards acted as the American representative on the Interallied Trade Committee at The Hague. Mr. Edwards served as the agent of the War Trade Board and the American minister in carrying out the various agreements with the Dutch Government, including the handling of the correspondence with the Netherlands Oversea Trust. During November, 1918, he visited London to confer with allied representatives regarding the various Dutch economic agreements. Several trips were made to Paris to confer with the Supreme Blockade Council concerning blockade administration and the shipping of foodstuffs to Germany under the Brussels agreement. Mr. Edwards also reported on current commercial and financial matters. Commercial Attaché William C. Huntington spent most of the year in the United States because of the unsettled conditions in Russia. During the early part of the fiscal year he was in Moscow aiding our diplomatic and consular officers. He left Russia in the fall, reaching the United States in November after visiting Stock holm, London, and Paris. In Washington, Dr. Huntington has held many conferences with officials of other Government depart ments interested in Russia. Besides making numerous addresses, he has organized the Russian division of the bureau. In the fall of 1918 it was decided to establish a cominercialattaché post at Madrid, and the position was offered to William A. Montavon, who had served in Lima, Peru. After the resignation of Mr. Montavon, Chester Lloyd Jones was appointed and opened his office March 5, 1919. At this post the work has been largely of a trade-promotive character. Mr. Jones has assisted the embassy in connection with our commercial treaty relations with Spain, and kept in close touch with proposed tariff legislation. He secured the revision of discriminating tariff classifications affecting American trade. Our ambassador in Spain has expressed his gratification at the valuable services rendered by Mr. Jones, and has recommended the assignment of additional assistants in the office of the commercial attaché at Madrid. The representa tions of our attaché were largely responsible for the recent granting to a New York company of the important concession for exploiting extensive potash deposits north of Barcelona. This single achieve ment is sufficient to justify the maintenance of the attaché’s office and the expenditure it involves. Other activities worthy of special mention include assistance to the Liquidation Commission 140261—19----- 6 82 REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. of the Army, cooperation with the American Chamber of Com merce in Barcelona, and special reports on Spanish trade conditions. The second new post opened during the year was at Rome. Commercial Attaché Alfred P. Dennis reached his post in March, 1919. Through his efforts and those of his assistants, import permits were issued for 8,000 packages of American goods that had been held for six months at Genoa. Among other products, I American tractors, shoes, hosiery, tubing, steel, and chemicals were admitted upon the representations of the attaché’s office. Mr. Dennis assisted the embassy in obtaining equal treatment for American goods discriminated against in Italian treaties with other nations. He has discussed with the Director of Economic Policy and the Director of Customs questions relating to the admission into Italy of American products. He has also aided firms seeking to establish themselves in the Italian market. Results Attained by Far-Eastern Offices. During the first half of the fiscal year Commercial Attaché Julean Arnold was in Shanghai, serving as chairman of the International Maritime Customs Conference. During Mr. Arnold’s absence the office at Peking was in charge of A. W. Ferrin and Paul P. Whitham. In cooperation with a representative of the War Trade Board, Mr. Ferrin initiated negotiations for the sale of 5,000 cars and 100 locomotives to the Chinese Government Railways under a car-trust agreement. Mr. Arnold assisted in the organization of a new American bank in China, as well as in that of a joint Chinese-American bank. As a result of his efforts, equipment for 10 cotton mills was purchased and installed in China. He aided in establishing an American tannery, had a share in the sale of American cars and railway equipment, and aided American archi tects to obtain contracts in China. American industrial films have been exhibited to acquaint the Chinese business public with Ameri can equipment and methods of production. The attaché has worked for the protection of American trade-marks, and has furthered the establishment of an American news sendee and better shipping facilities to China. With the aid of American consular officers he has prepared a comprehensive handbook of China. Mr. Arnold is now on his way to the United States. Up to the signing of the armistice Commercial Attaché Frank R. Rutter, at Tokyo, was chiefly engaged with problems arising out of trade restrictions and with the study of industrial and economic REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 83 conditions. Dr. Rutter left for the United States in December to accept an, important position on the staff of the bureau in Wash. ington. James F. Abbott was appointed to succeed him. Since his arrival at his post in March, Mr. Abbott has been renewing contacts in Japan and has been keeping Americans acquainted with commercial developments. In Australia, A. W. Ferrin, by addresses before commercial bodies and through press contributions, has aided in removing misunderstandings as to American trade methods and ideals. Another important service has been in connection with the amicable settlement of large claims made against Americans by Australian importers. Mr. Ferrin has done excellent tradepromotion work, and substantial business has resulted from his aiding Australians to obtain American agencies. Work of Attachés in Latin America. The office at Buenos Aires was largely occupied with war work. Commercial Attaché Robert S. Barrett was also the representa tive of the War Trade Board and the Shipping Board. Mr. Barrett obtained the cooperation of the commercial representa tives of the allied Governments and organized a committee, of which he was elected chairman, to take joint action on all enemytrade matters. He also suggested and assisted in the organiza tion of the Allied Chamber of Commerce of Buenos Aires. To the .Shipping Board Mr. Barrett made important and exhaustive reports. During the shipping strike he rendered notable service. Mr. Barrett also devoted considerable time to trade promotion. Largely through his efforts, the United States Chamber of Com merce in Buenos Aires was organized. Many representatives of American firms were assisted, and in one instance an initial order of $100,000 worth of rubber goods was secured. Mr. Barrett made frequent and extensive reports on timely subjects. He resigned April i to enter private business, but returned to the United States and spent three months conferring with business men before his resignation was accepted. Dr. Julius Klein, who had served as chief of the bureau’s Latin American division, was appointed commercial attaché at Buenos Aires. J. E. Philippi was appointed commercial attaché at Rio de Janeiro, arriving at his post November 3, 1918. He has devoted considerable time to a unification of the American commercial organizations in Brazil into an effective body, the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil. The organization, with the 84 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. aid of Mr. Philippi, lias assisted in negotiations concerning arbitra tion of commercial disputes. The attaché has made a close study of the Brazilian tariff. Following the armistice unusually heavy import shipments were received, and in many lines stocks were largely in excess of immediate needs. The attaché was instru mental in working out plans for handling the situation without loss to the parties interested. Mr. Philippi has kept the Depart ment informed with respect to shipping facilities, freight rates, etc., has submitted many valuable reports on other important subjects, and has aided in various ways American exporters. During the greater part of the year the office at Dima, Peru, has been in charge of Robert E. Hurd, secretary to the commercial attaché. Mr. Montavon returned to Washington in October to confer with exporters. However, Mr. Montavon decided while in this country to accept an important place with a private organiza tion. His trip through the United States was highly successful. While at Lima the attaché was chairman of the subcommittee of the Allied Conference of Ministers that considered war-trade problems. After the departure of the attaché, Mr. Hurd con tinued these activities, acting as secretary for the organization. Usefulness of Attaché Service Clearly Demonstrated. The commercial attachés in South America have submitted special reports on the openings for American marine-insurance operations, markets for drawing instruments and architects’ supplies, and German competition in all its phases. The attachés at Copenhagen, The Hague, and Paris have studied the status of the German dye industry. Our representatives in Paris and Rome were able to assist the important commissions representing the National Industrial Conference Board and the World Cotton Conference, while the London and Paris offices were of similar assistance to the commissions representing the shoe and leather trades and the Merchants and Manufacturers’ Board of the Cleve land Chamber of Commerce. The attaché service created interest in the exhibition held in Philadelphia in June under the auspices of the National Association of Hosiery & Knit Goods Manufacturers. A striking example of the usefulness of the service is found in its cooperation with the United States Sugar Equalization Board, which asked the bureau whether the attachés could assist in opening up foreign markets for sugar. The attachés were in structed to give the matter publicity as well as take it up directly with foreign importers. Soon the export demand became so REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 85 heavy that the board found it necessary to restrict the exportation of sugar. As another example of the utility of the service, I may mention the cooperation of the Bureau with the Bureau of Markets of the State of South Dakota in finding markets for range horses in Europe. Vital Work Accomplished by Trade Commissioners. The division of foreign investigations has aided the war activities of such organizations as the War Trade Board, the War Industries Board, the Council of National Defense, the Shipping Board, and the War Department. Trade Commissioner Axel H. Oxholm ren dered important services in connection with the inspection ôf timber for the American Expeditionary Force. Trade Commis sioner Norman L. Anderson kept closely in touch with matters of interest in the Scandinavian countries, Finland, Germany, and elsewhere. Nels A. Bengtson, trade commissioner at Christiania, cooperated with special representatives of the War Trade Board in Norway. The lumber investigations conducted by Trade Commissioners Axel H. Oxholm, Roger E. Simmons, Nelson C. Brown, and John R. Walker were practically completed at the end of the fiscal year, and their reports will appear shortly. Upon returning to the United States, each of the investigators made a tour of the principal lumber centers, giving first-hand information con cerning the results of his trip abroad. Great benefit will un questionably be derived from the personal suggestions of the commissioners, as well as from the material in the forthcoming monographs. The regions covered in the investigation were Finland, Sweden, and Norway; Russia and Siberia; the Spanish Peninsula, Italy, and Greece; and Great Britain, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The year witnessed the completion of the field work in the investigation of South American furniture markets by Harold E. Everley and the publication of his book entitled “ Furniture Markets of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.” His reports on the eastcoast countries will soon appear. Trade Commissioner W. W. Ewing finished his study of the opportunities in South America for the sale of American construc tion materials and machinery. A bulletin was published embody ing the information that he gathered in Chile, Peru, and Ecuador, and reports on Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Brazil are being prepared. 86 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Charles C. Hanch conducted a short investigation of the auto mobile situation in England and on the Continent of Europe. “ Jewelry and Silverware in Cuba’’ represented the first tangible result of the investigation by Samuel W. Rosenthal into the Latin American markets for the articles indicated. Various other mono graphs are soon to be published. Trade Commissioner J. W. Sanger finished his study of advertis ing methods and conditions in the Latin American countries. His reports are most pertinent and interesting. Oliver M. Smart has returned to the United States with valuable data on the market for electrical goods in Italy. >During the past year William M. Strachan investigated the pro duction and exportation of certain tropical products in Central America and Colombia, at the request of the United States Shipping Board. Henry Wigglesworth made a short survey of the general situa tion in the chemical industries of Eurojpe. There is now in press a monograph on “ Electrical Goods in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, ” written by Trade Commissioner Philip S. Smith to complete the series resulting from his South American investigations. The other specialized investigations completed during the year include those of W. G. Marshall on industrial machinery in Italy; H. Lawrence Groves on agricultural machinery in France; Charles P. Wood on industrial machinery in France and Belgium; and Arthur N. Young on financial conditions in Spain. Trade Commissioner Edward F. Feely made a survey of general commercial and economic conditions in Mexico and has now been appointed commercial attaché at Mexico City. Louis E. Van Norman was appointed trade commissioner to investigate general trade conditions in Rumania and was stationed at Bucharest for about six months. Having obtained important data on fundamental economic factors, he has returned to this country to give American business men the benefit of his observa tions. Leslie C. Wells was assigned to the party of the French Institute in the United States that has been making a tour of France, in cluding the devastated regions. Among other general investigations should be mentioned those of Nels A. Bengtson in Norway, Harry T. Collings in Belgium, and Eliot G. Mears in Greece. Mr. Mears has been ordered to proceed to Constantinople, to report on general commercial and economic REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 87 conditions. Mr. Bengtson and Mr. Codings are returning to the United States. General investigations that are continuing as the fiscal year ends are those of P. L. Bell in Colombia and Venezuela, John A. Fowler in the Dutch East Indies and Straits Settlements, Vladimir A. Geringer in Czechoslovakia, and R. A. Lundquist in South Africa. Upon the completion of his work in South Africa (including the preparation of a report on the electrical-goods trade), Mr. Lundquist is expected to proceed to India to study the market for electrical goods in that country. William L. Schurz was appointed trade commissioner in Febru ary to make a general investigation in Bolivia and Paraguay. No trade commissioners have been located in those countries before, though short visits to the principal centers have been made by several commodity investigators of the bureau. Special investigations now in progress include those of J. Morgan Clements of mineral resources in China; Courtenay De Kalb of mineral resources in Spain; L. S. Garry of textiles in South America; Harry F. Grady of financial conditions in England and on the Continent; Norman L. Hertz of leather in Europe; Alexander Luchars of machine tools in England and on the Continent; W. H. Rastall of industrial machinery in the Far East; Paul P. Whitham of transportation and port facilities in China. District and Cooperative Offices. As with other branches of the bureau’s activity, the work of its district and cooperative offices during the past year falls natur ally into two divisions— that performed before the signing of the armistice and the work undertaken subsequent to that date. While the actual handling of export and import licenses was taken out of the hands of the district and cooperative office man agers some time before the beginning of the past fiscal year, a great many requests and inquiries continued to reach these offices with respect to the war regulations of this country and of foreign nations. It is estimated that approximately 25 to 35 per cent of the time of the employees of these offices was taken up in furnish ing information of this character and in advising business men as to the proper procedure in complying with these war-time regula tions while still conducting as much foreign trade as possible. After the armistice, the urgent demands from American busi ness men for advice and assistance in relation to the new markets taxed severely the limited personnel of the bureau’s branch offices. Manufacturers and exporters have, for the most part, expressed 88 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. deep appreciation of the manner in which their requests were handled. Probably the most notable feature of the work of these offices after the signing of the armistice was the arrival in this country of a comparatively large number of foreign business men desiring to be placed in touch with American merchants. This is a service for which the district offices are peculiarly fitted, each office man ager being in close contact with the business interests of his dis trict and being able, therefore, to place foreign buyers in direct communication with firms which can supply their requirements. Another feature of the work that has developed greatly during the past year has been the investigation of complaints made against American firms by foreign dealers. In such abnormal conditions as those prevailing during the war it was inevitable that misunderstandings and mistakes should occur. The district and cooperative offices of the bureau have been eminently suc cessful in adjusting these difficulties amicably and without recourse to legal procedure. The effect of this work upon foreign good will toward the United States is evident. Work in Connection with Latin America. June 30, 1919, marked the end of the busiest and probably the mc st useful year in the history of the bureau’s Latin American division, organized in 1916 for the general purpose of promoting American trade with all countries and colonies in the Western Hemisphere to the south of the United States. During its com paratively short existence a large quantity of economic informa tion has been accumulated, the development having been espe cially rapid subsequent to the entrance of the United States into the war. Like all public and private institutions, the Latin American division has found the fiscal year 1919 composed of two distinct phases— that from July 1, 1918, until the signing of the armistice on November ix, and that after November 11, 1919. Early in the war the division was called upon to cooperate actively in many aspects of war work involving Latin American affairs. About 50 per cent of the time of the division during the duration of the war was given to the preparation of economic mate rial for war uses and to assistance rendered to investigators from other Government offices. In some instances the war organizations found it necessary to maintain in the division members of their staffs on full-time work. The four offices of the War Department maintaining closest contact with the division were the military REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 89 intelligence branch, the air-craft procurement division, the gasdefense service, and the Surgeon General’s Office. The division was in particularly close touch with the Shipping Board because of the necessity for careful study of ship service to Latin America with a view to curtailing that service to a min imum in order to supply tonnage for trans-Atlantic troop and munition movements. The files of the division were used as the foundation for data relating to such questions as Mexican petro leum, Latin American merchant marine, fuel supplies of South American countries, interned German shipping in Latin American ports, and Japanese ship movements to South America. The division was called upon constantly by the War Trade Board for advice on the granting of licenses for exports to Latin America, with special reference to the actual necessity for the given commodity in the consuming countries. As the board undertook to establish its own field service, its various appointees were given special preliminary training in the Latin American division before departing for their posts in the southern countries. The division furnished to the Food Administration a number of comprehensive tabulations relating to the trade in sisal fiber, sugar, bananas, coffee, and cereals. Aid was given to the Geological Survey in its investigations of the Latin American supplies and the proprietary control of such minerals as nitrate, petroleum, coal, tin, zinc, manganese, plati num, antimony, and tungsten. For the Federal Reserve Board members of the division wrote brief treatises covering the effects of the war on exchange in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile. Data and suggestions were supplied to the Committee on Public Information. Investigations were conducted regularly for the F'oreign Trade Adviser’s office of the State Department. The division also cooperated in collecting economic data for use at the Peace Conference. Numerous reports were prepared for this use. While the time of the Latin American division was primarily occupied with the war activities above enumerated, prior to the signing of the armistice, the work of supplying trade information to private interests was not neglected. It was often called upon to act as a mediator between private business and the Govern ment war organizations. go REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The revolution in commercial activity that took place after the cessation of hostilities was reflected in the work of the Latin American division. Manufacturing industries turned to foreign markets as outlets for their production. The average number of letters of trade information written weekly by the division, in response to inquiries received from business houses, increased from 89 in July, 1918, to 220 in April, 1919. The number of visits by export managers, salesmen, and officials of manufactur ing firms and export houses grew to 35 or 40 per week. One of the most encouraging features of the trade-promotive work of the Latin American division has been the regularity with which its services have been used by business institutions recog nized as among the most important in the United States. Among them may be mentioned practically all the American banks that have branches or affiliated houses in Latin America, the more prominent steel companies, many of the strongest export and import houses, investment and financial institutions, and many others among the leaders in their respective industries, such as textiles, chemicals, paints and varnishes, jewelry, rubber, motor cars, agricultural implements and machinery, industrial equip ment, railway supplies, electrical manufactures, explosives, timber, hardware of all kinds, construction materials, foodstuffs, and, in lesser volume, practically every variety of manufactures. So far as has been practicable in view of the time necessarily occupied by work of more immediate importance, the division has prepared, on subjects of timely interest, articles involving original research. These reports, to which the name of “ Latin American circulars ” has been given, were issued during the past year at intervals of approximately two weeks and have been published in Commerce Reports. The series has included reports on the trade balance and foreign exchange of Uruguay and Brazil; railways and railway development in Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Argentina; petroleum and general trade conditions in Mexico; studies of paint and varnish and automobile markets; and other miscellaneous subjects. A gratifying appreciation of this phase of the division’s work has been evidenced not onfy by personal letters but also by the reprinting of such studies in trade journals and the daily press. During the last weeks of the year the division prepared a com plete syllabus for the use of instructors in Latin American trade courses and of students who desire to pursue such study inde pendently. This work comprises four courses on the main divi REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 91 sions of Latin America, including preliminary references to the history and social heritage of each nation as well as a review of the physical features, transportation, native products, banking and finance, and economic characteristics peculiar to the region under consideration. Commodity studies based mainly on the official reports published by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce form the practical end of each course. This syllabus will be embodied in a bulletin to be issued by the Federal Board for Vocational Education about the first of September, 1919. Promotion of Trade with Far East. The Far Eastern division accumulates and distributes trade information in a variety of ways. It clips and files all pertinent articles appearing in about 20 representative Far Eastern trade papers. In order to insure as extensive a circulation as possible for data of this character, a weekly digest of the clippings is made and published in Commerce Reports. These “ press notes” are widely copied in trade and news papers throughout the United States. The value of thus directing intelligent inquiry is mani fest; it discourages the old type of “ dragnet” inquiry that is so difficult to handle and, with more beneficial results, excites the interest of merchants and manufacturers in available material of a specific nature. Lists of selected titles, from the clipping files and the card index of articles in periodicals, are distributed to the bureau’s district and cooperative offices. The duplicate replies of consuls to trade inquiries are filed in the Far Eastern division, and their gist is summarized on cards. Letters of special interest form the nucleus of articles in Commerce Reports, under the heading “ Far Eastern trade notes.” For Com merce Reports, also, the division prepares summaries of forth coming monographs by the field investigators of the bureau. Special lines of investigation for commercial attachés and trade commissioners are suggested by the division, based upon inquiries received from American sources. The division is assembling a library of great practical value. Yearbooks, directories, studies of economic conditions, official re ports of foreign Government departments and bureaus have expanded the bookshelves from 4 to 15 sections. In the distribution of the information thus accumulated prob ably two-thirds of the effort has been expended in answering indi vidual inquiries. These have increased from about 25 per week in July, 1918, to more than 125 per week at the termination of 92 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. the fiscal year. In a surprisingly large number of cases the divi sion has been completely successful in supplying the exact data required. It was early discovered that there was a steady call for compre hensive surveys of the Far Eastern markets for certain articles entering largely into the export trade of the United States. To meet this demand, 18 circulars discussing the opportunity for such goods in practically all important Far Eastern markets have been prepared and given wide circulation through Commerce Reports and by mailing to a special list comprising virtually all the Ameri can manufacturers and exporters actively engaged in trade with the Orient. These circulars have had gratifying results. The miscellaneous activities of the division during the year have been numerous and exacting. It was called upon for advice con cerning the desire of the Chinese Government to purchase railway equipment. It gave attention to the bill introduced in Congress for the incorporation under Federal law of companies engaged in foreign trade exclusively. The subject of better cable facilities across the Pacific was taken up. A t the request of the Shipping Board, the division suggested two routes for transpacific steam ship service, the accumulation of the necessary data involving much research. The division has been called upon frequently to clear up trade disputes of a peculiarly aggravated nature. A number of addresses before trade bodies have been made by mem bers of the division. Establishment of Russian Division. Among the important undertakings of the bureau during the fiscal year was the organization of a Russian division, under the direction of Dr. William C. Huntington, commercial attaché to Russia. Dr. Huntington was in Russia during the last days of the imperial régime and the entire period from the revolution of March, 1917, to the withdrawal of the American diplomatic representatives. The Russian division was organized in January, 1919, the staff consisting at first of only the chief and a stenographer. Two additional persons were engaged in March, and since April the work has been very actively carried on. The aim of this work is (1) to make a thorough study of Russia and to build up a collation file of sound, tested information, as well as to form a good library ; (2) on this basis to furnish accurate information to business inter ests; and (3) to form a center for all sorts of American-Russian trade relations. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 93 Numerous articles and translations prepared by the division have been published in Commerce Reports. Russian currency, mineral resources, the flour-milling industry, the beet-sugar industry, the market for textiles and clothing, the port of Arch angel, the resources and trade possibilities of Poland, etc., have formed the subjects of such reports. Many business men, both Russian and American, have visited the division. The cooperative societies and their projects have occupied much time. A large number of inquiries have been answered relative to general conditions in Russia and Siberia, as well as special branches of trade and manufacture. About 300 of these letters have been in the nature of real reports to the inquirers. The division has endeavored to obtain publications from all sources and has worked in close cooperation with other divisions of this Department and also with the Department of State, the Department of Labor, the Shipping Board, and the War Trade Board. It has worked with the military intelligence division of the War Department. The division has cooperated effectively with such organizations as the American-Russian Chamber of Commerce, the RussianAmerican Committee for the Far East, the Russian Embassy, the consulate general of the Republic of Poland, the Russian Economic League, the National City Bank of New York, the National Bank of Commerce, the National Association of American Manufacturers, and various chambers of commerce. Attempts have been made to get in touch with chambers of com merce abroad, in Harbin, Omsk, and Archangel. Arrangements have been made with the State Department to obtain periodi cally data from representatives in the United States of States organized from portions of the former Russian Empire. It is confidently believed that this new Russian branch of the bureau’s activity will contribute very substantially to an under standing of the Russian problem, aiding Americans to take advantage of an ultimate opportunity for the utilization of capital and the supplying of merchandise to 180,000,000 people. Extraordinary Demand for Commercial Information. The bureau’s division of trade information, which supplies, through correspondence and personal interviews, data on foreign markets other than Latin America, the Far East, and Russia, sent out approximately 45,000 communications during the past 94 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. year. Since the signing of the armistice the facilities of the division have been taxed to meet the truly phenomenal demand for com mercial information. Upon the cessation of hostilities American manufacturers whose establishments had grown as a result of war orders began to seek means to keep their plants and organizations intact, and thus avoid the unpleasant task of reducing their forces and curtailing production. The inquiries received by the bureau show that a remarkably large proportion of these concerns have turned to foreign trade as a solution of their problems. In connection with its trade-promotion work the bureau main tains close cooperative arrangements with the principal com mercial organizations throughout the United States. An impor tant supplemental publicity is thus given to the bureau’s publica tions and special services. In turn, the division of trade informa tion is often able to be of definite assistance to such associations and their individual members. It is called upon frequently by newly established associations, planning the organization of foreign-trade departments, for advice and constructive suggestions that will assist them in initiating, developing, and carrying on a special service of this kind. Division of Statistics. During the first half of the year the efforts of the division of statistics, aside from the regular work of preparing the statistical publications, were directed mainly toward furnishing the special war bureaus with the detailed foreign-trade statistics required by them. The various divisions of the United States Shipping Board made probably more extensive use of the statistics than any of the other war offices. As a basis for the control and allocation of ships for imports of essential war materials for which the United States was dependent upon foreign sources, the division of planning and statistics of the Shipping Board was supplied regularly with reports of imports during io-day periods. The port and harbor facilities commission of the Shipping Board made extensive use of the monthly reports showing imports and exports of each customs district by articles and countries. The division of oper ation made extensive use of the bureau’s reports of “ Vessels entered and cleared in the foreign trade,” while the division of trade was given aid in the construction of tables showing commerce in leading staple articles by ports and countries. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 95 The Food Administration and the Bureau of Markets of the Department of Agriculture were furnished with io-day reports of imports and exports of foodstuffs and agricultural raw products. The several divisions of the War Industries Board and the Coun cil of National Defense made constant inquiries for foreign-trade statistics in connection with their work of priority rulings, price fixing, and other war restrictions, and received numerous special monthly and io-day statements. The Geological Survey, the Bureau of Mines, and the inter departmental War Minerals Committee were kept regularly sup plied with the latest statistics on imports and exports of nonferrous metals, coal, mineral oil, nitrogenous materials, and other essential minerals. The War Trade Board made constant use of the import and export statistics, its bureau of research being regularly furnished with copies of the io-day and monthly export reports, and every facility was afforded its officials to keep their statistical records up to date. Numerous special tables were also furnished to that board. Among the other Government establishments to which infor mation was supplied by this division were the Central Bureau of Planning and Statistics, the Committee on Public Information, the Alien Property Custodian, and the Director General of Railroads. In many cases extensive research and compilation were required. Since the signing of the armistice this extensive use of the bureau’s foreign-trade statistics has gradually diminished, so far as the war boards are concerned, while there has been a corre sponding increase in the demands by private industries and com mercial organizations. It is the policy of the division to furnish as complete statistics as possible bearing upon the inquiries submitted. For several years the division has maintained a limited service of special monthly statements to certain parties, giving more details than the published reports. It was decided to extend this service by furnishing it to such trade journals and commercial organizations as would agree to give publicity to the statements. The demand has exceeded all expectations. The work was started with statistics for December, 1918. After it had been in operation for six months, 1,178 copies of 81 statements of imports and exports during May, 1919, were furnished to about 300 different addresses, mostly those of trade organizations and commercial journals. 96 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Special arrangements have been made with local correspondents of trade publications by which they are given access to the copy for the Monthly Summary before it is sent to print. Thus the figures of imports and exports in the principal lines of industry— including, among others, automobiles, textiles, iron and steel, and hides and leather— appear in the trade journals a week or more in advance of the official statistical publications. The Department of Commerce is aware of the importance of promptness in the statistical service and is giving much attention to the coordination of the bureau’s work with that of the Customs Service of the Treasury Department, through which the reports are collected. In recent months there has been a notable improve ment in this regard. An act of Congress approved January 25, 1919 (S. bill 4924), amended section 336 of the Revised Statutes by requiring that the annual report shall be issued to cover the calendar instead of the fiscal year, because of the greater demand for figures relating to the former period. For 1918 the bureau undertook to prepare, in addition to the fiscal-year report, an annual report on the Foreign Commerce and Navigation of the United States for the calendar year. In order to provide a continuous record for the intervening period between the fiscal and calendar years, the figures for the half year from July 1 to December 31, 1918, are shown in all of the tables in addition to the calendar-year figures. Steps are being taken to change the tables in the foreign-com merce section of the Statistical Abstract from fiscal to calendar years. The usual publication Trade of the United States with the World, showing imports and exports in the trade with each foreign country by articles, was brought up to date for 1918 and issued as Miscellaneous Series No. 78. A special compilation was made and published in Commerce Reports of the imports into and domestic exports from the United States during the calendar year 1917, stated in the terminology of the international classi fication agreed upon at the International Statistical Congress at Brussels in 1913. To remedy the lack of detail in the foreign-trade statistics, a revision and extension of the export classification was undertaken in the latter part of the fiscal year. An interdepartmental com mittee was appointed, comprising representatives of the Treasury, Agriculture, and Commerce Departments, the Shipping and War Trade Boards, and the Tariff Commission, for the’jpurpose of pre REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 97 paring an entirely new classification applicable to both imports and exports. It was decided that the present alphabetical ar rangement should be discarded and that the commodities in the new classification should be grouped in io great classes according to their character, the origin of the component materials rather than their use being the guiding principle in classifying. Each of the io main groups is to be divided and subdivided into sub sidiary groupings, the decimal system of numbering being used in order to facilitate mechanical tabulation and to provide elasticity for future expansion. Comparability between imports and ex ports is to be preserved, but in cases where the imports or exports are not of the same importance for certain groups the classification need not be shown in the same detail. Quantities are to be shown in all cases either in standard commercial units or in weights. Trade organizations and experts have prepared detailed sched ules for their particular lines. The arrangement and condensation of the various classifications submitted has proved a huge task. It had been planned to put the new classification into effect on January i, 1919, but this was found impracticable, and the work has continued uninterruptedly up to the present time. It is expected that January 1, 1920, will be the effective date, unless some now unforeseen event should make further postponement necessary. Original Research and Compilation of Foreign Statistics. In the research division of the bureau there were prepared during the year, in addition to the Statistical Abstract of the United States and the annual pamphlet on wholesale prices, spe cial publications on Statistics of German Trade, Statistics of Austro-Hungarian Trade, International Trade in Footwear, and International Trade in Cement. The two reports on the commerce of the cential Empires have proved of great value to students of their economic development, as well as to business men who are interested in the markets formerly supplied from Teutonic sources. Studies are in course of preparation covering the international trade in cotton goods, motor vehicles and bicycles, horse-drawn vehicles, agricultural implements and machinery, paper and its .manufactures, electrical goods and machinery, and manufactures of leather other than boots and shoes. The research division prepared the statistical tables for the bureau’s monograph on Economic Reconstruction in European Countries. 140261— 19------7 98 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. In order to assist in placing American oversea trade on the firmest possible basis, one of the experts of the research division, during the last half of the fiscal year, has paid special attention to the possibilities of employing American capital abroad. In the Far Hast and Latin America are great resources that have scarcely been touched, and it is believed that this branch of the bureau’s activity will conduce very materially to the profit of American financiers and merchants. Division of Foreign Tariffs. During the past year the publication work of the bureau’s divi sion of foreign tariffs had to be largely subordinated to the rapidly growing correspondence, dealing primarily with the great number of foreign restrictions on commerce. The increase in the divi sion’s mail was particularly noticeable after the armistice, reaching a monthly average of nearly 1,000 letters, compared with an average of less than 250 during the preceding year. Inquiries regarding foreign rates of duty were comparatively few. The foreign import restrictions, on the other hand, formed a very serious obstacle to export trade, and it required a considerable amount of ingenuity and diplomacy to get the average exporter to see the broader problems of exchange, international commercial policies, and national interests involved in the import prohibition on the particular article in which he was interested. The work of the division in connection with foreign trade-mark legislation, and especially the examination of official publications with a view to detecting attempts to pirate American trade marks, has been considerably extended and has resulted in a number of very desirable new connections among American firms. The division has also succeeded in aiding American firms to recover trade-marks that had been appropriated by their agents. The question of the expansion of American parcel-post facilities with foreign countries has figured rather prominently in the work of the division, which has kept in close touch with the activities of the Post Office Department along those lines. It is gratifying to note that the economic importance of parcel post is receiving increased recognition and that parcel-post service to a considerable number of countries has been inaugurated during the past year. Editorial Division. Up to the time hostilities ceased there was so pronounced a shortage in incoming reports from the bureau’s field staff that for a time the editorial division seemed confronted with the inevitable REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 99 necessity of reducing the size of Commerce Reports. But within a month after the armistice was signed there were so many reports in hand that the facilities of the division and of the entire bureau were taxed to give them proper distribution. The work performed in the division during the year amounted to approximately 12,800 printed pages, as compared with 10,872 pages during the preceding year. Fourteen monographs were pre pared for publication in the Special Agents Series and 12 in the Miscellaneous Series. The number of pages in Commerce Reports jumped from 4,912 in 1918 to 5,760 in 1919, the increase occurring during the last six months. The number of foreign-trade oppor tunities published in this daily paper increased from 806 for the first six months of the fiscal year 1919 to 1,897 for the six months just closing. An increase of more than a thousand in the paid circulation of the paper has also taken place. A new series of publications, designated Industrial Standards, which will give substantial aid in trade promotion with Latin America, made excellent progress during the year. The first 62 numbers in the series have been issued. They are bilingual editions, in Spanish and English, of standard specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials. This wrork will be con tinued during the current year by the translation of these specifi cations into French and the publication of French-English editions for distribution in the several countries of Europe where that language is used. It is also planned to publish a bilingual edition, in French and English, of the Standardization Rules of the Ameri can Institute of Electrical Engineers. Recommendations. i. The commercial-attaché service has, during the four years that it has been established, amply proved its value. There has been a distinct field to be filled by men with broad economic and business training devoting their entire time to the important problem of promoting American commerce abroad. Commercial attachés have in almost every instance been of continued assist ance to the embassies and legations to which they have been attached, because important commercial questions have been con stantly coming up where the advice and assistance of a trained man were of great value. It can further be said that commercial attachés have constantly been of assistance to other departments of our Government which have sent important official repre sentatives abroad. Commercial attachés have turned their hands to whatever task of a commercial character was at hand to do. IOO REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. At the same time constant assistance has been given to visiting American business men who have been endeavoring to enter new markets and to organize their business along sound lines. The commercial attaché has been a commercial counselor of high grade whose service has been found so useful that his time and energy have been taxed to the utmost. It is in accordance with proved usefulness that I strongly recommend the extension and improve ment of this service. The kind of men who are useful for this work can obtain large salaries in the employ of American com panies engaged in export business, as evidenced by the fact that commercial attachés have been lost again and again on this ac count. After an official of this class has the advantage of sev eral years’ experience it is a distinct loss to the Government to have him leave and to have to put in a new man. The responsible nature of the commercial attaché’s work and the high-grade men required make it necessary to pay higher salaries than we have been able to do. It is also necessary to provide more clerical assistance than has been permitted under the organic law. I recommend substantial increase in the appropriation for the commercial-attaché service. 2. Under the general head of “ Promoting commerce” come the special investigations made by trade commissioners, the functions of the district offices, and other work of similar character. It has been possible to obtain high-grade specialists to make investiga tions in specific lines. Reports and monographs which have been published at regular intervals have been utilized to a great extent by the different trades. This is a work which I feel should be continued. The district offices, established in principal cities, have come to be focal points for foreign-trade information and have done splendid work in making available a large amount of commercial information received from American representatives abroad These offices are in need of larger staffs and higher salaries. Again and again district office managers who have done excellent work have been given positions with private firms at higher salaries. 3. The Latin American, Far Eastern, and Russian divisions have coordinated commercial information relating to their re spective territories and have made it available to American exporters. This specialized service has met with an excellent response. It is a kind of work which I believe should be extended. 4. It is important that the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce should have an adequate sum for post allowances to be REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. IO I granted to its representatives abroad to offset unusual high cost of living charges and uncertain conditions prevailing at the present time in different countries. The wisdom of granting post allow ances has been demonstrated in the case of the American diplo matic and consular service under the Department of State. 5. The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce distributes to the American business public not only information received from its own representatives abroad but also a large amount of valuable commercial intelligence.which comes in from American diplomatic and consular officers. During the present period of international trade adjustment it is important to have frequent reports to indicate changes which are constantly occurring. This current commercial information should be transmitted to inter ested American exporters without delay. The statutory staff of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce is the medium through which this information must pass. With an unprece dented amount of valuable information to distribute and a greatly increased demand on the part of the public for information of this character, the strain placed upon the statutory staff of the bureau has been very great. It is necessary to have an increased clerical force and also added provision for competent adminis trative officers. The salaries in the bureau in Washington have not been sufficient to hold highly trained men, who have left the service to enter private employment. 6. The international trade situation is to-day a matter of vital importance to the prosperity of this country. It is essential that the most authentic information about foreign markets be obtained and distributed. In order to do this work effectively, sound constructive plans should be made. Men trained in foreign investigation and in the analysis of foreign-trade conditions are to-day in very great demand in private business. The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce has been to a considerable extent a training school for men who have later obtained impor tant positions with private companies. It is my opinion that the time has come when sufficient means should be provided so that the foreign-trade service of our Government, represented by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, may be placed on some permanent self-supporting basis, so that accumulated expe rience may be retained. The service of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce deserves to be given increased appro priations necessary to enable it to carry on successfully the valuable work which it is attempting to do. NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS. (Dr. S. W. S tr a tto n , Director.) The National Bureau of Standards is organized in nine scientific and technical divisions, the office, the mechanical plant, and the technical shops— 88 separate sections in all. The bureau’s staff during the year included 1,150 employees. The scientific library has 17742, volumes, chiefly in physics, chemistry, and the special technologies, and 442 scientific periodicals from all parts of the world are currently received. There are 13 principal laboratory buildings, 'connected by service tunnels, and the equipment includes a liquid-air plant, a refrigeration system, power plant, gas and electric generators, and a system of technical services, such as time signals, electric current, gas, steam, compressed air, vacuum refrigerating brine, and others which are connected to the various laboratories. The bureau also has woodworking shops, instrument shops, a glass-blowing and a glassworking shop, and a well-equipped photographic laboratory. The transition from war to peace brought special problems of reconstruction of work in the face of reduced funds, and many resignations, aggregating 378 (exclusive of 1,127 separations of a temporary character). To maintain the staff, 1,909 appointments were made. Certain military researches were continued because of their permanent value to the Army and Navy. Researches for other departments and for the industries— deferred somewhat during the war— were resumed, and peace programs of industrial research were taken up vigorously. Estimates were submitted to Congress for this industrial work. The scientific and technical knowledge derived from researches and investigations is disseminated through printed publications, 51 of which were issued during the year, comprising 36 new issues (12 scientific papers, 15 technologic papers, 6 circulars, and 3 miscellaneous publications) and 15 revised editions. A descrip tive list of publications was issued, in which there is given a brief technical abstract with each title, which, with a subject index, makes it specially useful to experts interested in any of the bureau's varied fields of work. In addition, the bureau issues a series of monthly technical news bulletins, in which during the past vear 426 separate topics were treated, thus giving promptly sum mary news notes of the bureau’s researches. An important func tion of the bureau is to make quickly accessible the results of new scientific researches. 102 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. IO3 Weights and Measures. During the year, in its new circular on the measurement of mass, the bureau announced new standards of construction and accuracy for weights. This type of service in the interest of national uniformity is of great value to science and industry. The bureau also certified weights, giving corrections for each, so that fairly accurate weights may give very accurate results when the certified corrections are applied. In the bureau’s weighing laboratory 2,594 weights and 36 balances were standardized. Many interesting problems were handled, new methods of determining the weight of a bushel of wheat from samples, verification of standard grain testers, errors in weights caused by brittle lacquer, and the discovery that atmospheric humidity seriously affected the behavior of the bureau’s new precision balance for assay weights. In a larger way the bureau standardized mine scales and rail road track scales, using its traveling test cars, each equipped with weights totaling 100,000 pounds. During the year bureau experts inspected mine scales in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland, where bad conditions were investigated and rectified. The necessity of regular testing was clearly proven, the State mining laws were clarified on the points involved, effective safe guards assured, and the suspicions and discontent of the miners allayed. In all 352 railroad track scales were tested by the bureau in 33 States of the Union on behalf of the U. S. Railroad Administration, including 10 master scales used as standards to check locally the weights of the railroad’s track-scale test cars. The results of the bureau’s work are being incorporated in standard specifications for railroad track scales, prepared in cooperation with the technical interests concerned. These will promote efficiency and accuracy in large scale weighings on railroads, the importance of which may be gauged by the freight revenues collected on the readings of railroad track scales amounting to several billion dollars in a year. The Twelfth Annual Conference on Weights and Measures at the Bureau of Standards, attended by 180 experts and delegates representing 29 States, adopted specifications for gasolinemeasuring pumps, recommended that the bureau be empowered to pass upon types of measuring devices, approved the decimal flour bill, favored the sale of dry commodities by weight, the marking of net weight on wrapped meats, standardization of 104 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. packages, and advocated the adoption of the international metric system of weights and measures. The bureau has formulated model State laws, held conferences on the technical details of inspection service, and consulted State and local officials on technical legislation. Much of the new legis lation is developed with the cooperation of the bureau. Several States, notably Texas, North Dakota, and South Dakota, have just enacted laws establishing State-wide inspection services for the first time. Many States ask aid in establishing State depart ments of weights and measures, in field investigation, and in deciding the fitness of measuring devices. Specific aid was given Maine and Texas where new laws provide that after July i, 1920, no weighing or measuring apparatus may be sold unless it is approved by the Bureau of Standards. These actions em phasize the need of a similar national law. The bureau’s length laboratory is the agency for the basic control of all length measurements and all measures derived therefrom. The distribution of accuracy in length is mainly through the standardization of the manufacturers’ standards, which control output, and through the standardization of the State standard by which local inspection is regulated. The bureau also devised means to measure the thickness of paint films— a problem of protection of ordnance shells, the paint film on which must be thick enough to protect and thin enough to avoid rubbing when fired. Methods were also devel oped to measure, with a high degree of accuracy, the celluloid photorecords of gunfiring. The wide range of technical uses of sieves in industrial laboratories and the great importance of fineness determinations led the bureau to a scientific study of the whole subject which has resulted in a revised scale of sieve sizes. No length measures are more interesting than the modern precision gauge blocks by which the dimensional accuracy of tools, machines, and countless other factory products is assured. The bureau’s successful development and production of gauges, which excel by 100 per cent the quality and accuracy of the best imported gauges, is now well known. The high precision of these gauges is controlled by the direct use of waves of light to measure the errors, some of them less than one-millionth of an inch. The Government was unable to obtain the needed gauges of this type from foreign makers during the war. It is interesting and sig nificant that the bureau was able to develop the methods and make up enough gauges to supply the Government need at a total REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 10 5 cost less than the market value of the imported gauges needed at the outset. The bureau conducted courses of instruction in measurement and in the use of the bureau’s special gauge-testing apparatus and methods in field work. The courses were attended by Gov ernment supervisors and inspectors from both War and Navy Departments and from manufacturers of munitions and military material. Valuable work of the highest precision attainable is being done on the measurement of the expansion of materials with tempera ture. Two examples of the 121 tests made will illustrate. The bureau developed a new type of porcelain for use in spark plugs of motors. To prevent cracking at the high heats encountered, the expansion of spark-plug porcelain in service should be exactly the same as tha,t of the metal electrodes used in producing the spark. So, too, dental filling amalgams must be “ balanced” ; that is, made up to expand equally with the teeth. The measure ment of the minute changes of size involved required optical methods, the expansion being measured by the use of light waves. As a result of this.work, specifications will be drawn up for these materials by the bureau in cooperation with the research institute of the National Dental Association. The need for the bureau’s work in standardizing capacity meas ures for technical uses is shown by the fact that only two-thirds of the volumetric apparatus tested by the bureau during the year passed the test. These measures included burettes, cylindrical graduates, dilution pipettes, transfer and measuring pipettes, and flasks. One-sixth of the density-measuring devices, hydrometers, salinometers, etc., were rejected. In addition to the testing of gas-meter provers, the bureau made an inspection of 103 large natural-gas meters used in supplying towns with natural gas, and disclosed the fact that several million dollars’ worth of gas is being lost in a year by leakage in the distributing systems. The Government shipbuilding program involves, among other things, a continuance of the testing of special timepieces for the new ships. In the time laboratory nearly 10,000 timepieces were tested, ranging from 12 minutes for stop watches to roo days for master-clock systems. Class A certificates were given for 19 out of 82 watches tested. The system for testing is thoroughly established and the fundamental time indications of the Riefler standard clock of the bureau is maintained with a constancy within a small fraction of a second a month. io 6 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Electricity. Electrical science and industry depend upon the bureau’s fundamental standards for uniformity in the electrical measures and data which are the basis of all electrical work. These stand ards are applied to the industries largely through the makers of electrical measuring instruments and appliances. The manu facturers’ standards are checked up at the bureau, thus assuring nation-wide uniformity at the source. The bureau’s electrical testing for the industries keeps it in close touch with industrial needs, and its testing for the Government assures suitable quality of delivered supplies and yields data needed by the bureau for perfecting standards of quality and per formance. Such standards gather up new scientific results and service experience and apply them in the industries through the specifications for supplies and equipment, and ,thus become an agency for stimulating industrial progress. The electrical laboratories cover work in photometry, radio communication, X ray and radium, and public utilities. 'Phe bureau’s researches in the war involving electrical princi ples covered many subjects— the location of ejiemy batteries by means of sound-recording mechanisms, the electrical control of airplane guns to fire between the propeller blades, time studies of gunfiring, variation of gun pressures, ejection-velocity studies by recoil meters, the development of kinemometers to measure the jumps and whip of a gun on firing, the measurement of projectile velocities inside the gun, and scientific studies of the gun blast. A special investigation of battleship-turret firing was made and the firing circuits greatly improved. From experimental work and the theoretical studies involved the bureau was enabled to develop numerous new devices and methods of measurement ap plied to artillery problems The bureau’s technical resources and ingenuity were applied to perfecting the plans of experiment and the devices themselves. The results in actual practice have been gratifying. A bureau expert was sent to France and England to further study the problems of gunfiring, and the basis for new and important work has been thus established. Other electrical military work included the investigation of technical methods of protecting ships against mines, the measurement of speed of bullets fired by centrifugal guns, and a large amount of technical con sultation work on electricity applied to warfare. A recent report of the War Department announced that the latest sound-ranging REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. IO7 system developed at the Bureau of Standards for the location of enemy batteries proved to be superior to all such systems in use when the armistice was signed. An electrical method was also developed for measuring the velocity of flame propagation in the cylinders of internal-com bustion engines. This is a contribution to the general problem of automotive power plants, the full program for which is being vigorously taken up by the power-plant laboratory of the bureau. The electrical principles involved in the design of spark plugs, magnetos, and complete ignition systems are carefully studied. It is of interest to note that in connection with the investigation of the design of this new spark plug, the bureau’s ceramics staff developed a new type of porcelain, having the electrical and thermal properties required. The war made necessary the standardization of military supplies. The bureau’s cooperation was sought, and some of its experts gave their full time for several months with a highly gratifying result. In fact, the success opened up the subject of standardization on a much broader scale, and, especially in connection with the elec trical supplies and equipment, a most thorough standardization was completed. The results are embodied in the new catalogues of military supplies. A valuable standardization work was the development of standards of quality and performance for electric dry cells. The vast number of these cells used throughout the country and by the Army and Navy made the subject one of considerable economic importance. The investigation was successfully completed and the results embodied in a published circular giving the specifica tions for and methods of testing dry cells. A similar work on storage batteries is well under way. The bureau developed a method by which aviators may land in the fog or dark. The system involves the use of automatic radio signaling equipment on the landing field in combination with suitably designed direction finders on the airplane. Practical trials proved entirely successful. The development was under taken for the Air Mail Service. A landipg field was equipped for the purpose. Automatic signals are encountered by the air plane as high as 6,000 feet from the ground, and with the direc tion finder the aviator locates his position with respect to the ground and descends safely in fog or darkness. The bureau also developed and successfully applied the most successful submarine radio system, making possible signaling from a submerged sub 108 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. marine for a distance of 12 miles and the receiving of signals transmitted thousands of miles exactly as when received in the air. This work involved the development of a satisfactory direc tion finder for use under water. The bureau has rendered special service to radio communica tion in connection with the so-called “ electron tube,” sometimes called by the more general name “ vacuum tube.” The new electron tubes have revolutionized methods of radio communica tion since the outbreak of the war. The development has been so rapid that it became necessary to completely standardize electron tubes, so that their performance could be predicted in every essential respect. This theory was worked out, and the methods developed are described in a bureau publication now in press. Radio-research headquarters for the Army and Navy radio service are located in the laboratories of the Bureau of Standards, and there has been most cordial and complete coopera tion between the Bureau of Standards, the Navy, and the War Department experts. Public Utilities. The standards for public utilities developed by the bureau relate especially to electric light and power, gas, street-railway, telephone service, and miscellaneous industrial utilities. The bureau con ducts scientific and engineering research, studies the public-rela tions question, prepares specifications for the quality of such service, outlines methods of testing and inspection, formulates safety rules to safeguard the employees and the public, and collates and distributes information impartially to all concerned. Publicutility standards are based upon standards of measure, quality, and performance, and embody in numerical terms the ranges of the pertinent factors defining quality, safety, economy, conven ience, and efficiency. Owing to the unusual conditions, the publicutility staff of the bureau during the past two years has been called upon for an unprecedented amount of work. The bureau attained an enviable position as an impartial referee in such sub jects and settled disputed questions on a scientific basis. The work has been especially fruitful in assuring to the public a means of specifying adequacy and safety in the production and distribu tion of electric power, gas, and other forms of service. The bureau’s gas-service standards have proved of great use fulness. Cooperative investigations have been made on behalf of State and local public-service commissions in several States and REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 109 for many cities. On behalf of the State commission for Indiana cooperative tests at coal-gas plants in the State resulted in new features of gas standards fully set forth in the bureau’s report— the most complete and convincing effort ever made on behalf of a public-service commission to determine the best requirements for a State. The data will be valuable to the gas industry. The bureau’s investigation of an industrial-gas enterprise in Maryland resulted in technical recommendations to the manage ment which will “ ultimately turn a loss into a substantial profit." The bureau’s staff visited 14 different localities, in addition to supplying many requests for information by correspondence and in conference. Much valuable data were made available for the gas companies and the municipalities on matters of controversy or public agitation. The bureau’s standards for electrical safety service are being revised on the basis of experience. In this work the bureau has had the cordial cooperation of public-service commissions, munici palities, and public-service corporations, as well as of national technical societies and individual experts interested in the produc tion and use of electricity. A new publication is now in preparation which will give the bureau’s new ‘‘ Standards for street lighting service.” The ex perimental and field investigations of street lighting upon which these standards are based, comprised inspections of municipal and private plants, the direct measurements of street lights, and con ferences with illuminating engineers and plant managers. Some what new in kind is the bureau’s study of standards for central station, hot-water heating service undertaken for the State of Indiana. Technical rules covering the factors of adequacy and safety of such service formulated by the bureau were adopted substantially as recommended. These standards are included in a circular on “ Standards for steam and hot-water service” now nearly completed. Telephone service standards are of nation-wide importance, and the bureau is preparing two publications on the subject. The bureau gathers technical data for impartial dissemination to the telephone industry, to regulatory commissions, and to the telephone-using public. One new circular will give an account of the modern telephone service, and a second will describe in detail the service in selected cities. The bureau assisted in standardizing and defining the technical terms employed in telephony in America and Great Britain. I IO REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Standards of safety have engaged the earnest attention of the bureau's staff with a view to reducing life and property hazards arising from the use of electricity and from general industrial processes. The Electrical Safety Code, of which a new edition is now in preparation, has been adopted by at least 20 administrative bodies throughout the country and recommended for use by many others. In several States, notably Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Montana, this code is now mandatory. It has been voluntarily adopted by a large number of industrial concerns and, in general, has met with nation-wide approval. There was held at the Bureau of Standards a conference on industrial safety codes which was attended by more than 100 representatives of different interested organizations. The con ference agreed that the Bureau of Standards should lead in the work, and plans are now under way to arrange the most effective cooperation in the preparation of industrial safety codes. The bureau has already prepared a number of such codes, namely, National Elevator Safety Code, National Code for Safeguarding Machines and Machine Drives, National Code for the Protection of Head and Eyes of Industrial Workers, and National Code for Safeguarding Remote Control Apparatus. The bureau’s technical investigation of the damage to structures by stray electric currents from street mains has resulted in the development of standard electrolysis surveys and standard pro cedure for electrolysis mitigation. Solutions were recently arrived at in several cities in Missouri, Ohio, and Indiana. New apparatus for use in electrolysis surveys has been designed, constructed, and tested at the bureau. The results are so satisfactory that they will be applied to the bureau’s field work during the next few months. Radium. The importance of radium in surgery and in dermatology has caused a rapid growth in the bureau’s testing-of-radium prepara tions, 474 of which were tested during the year, containing a total of 13,159 milligrams, having a market value of $1,500,000. These specimens were certified about equally for the military depart ments, for commercial export, and for domestic use. An important use of radium salts is in the self-luminous paints for marking watch dials and other objects. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Ill The modern use of such materials containing radium salts has rapidly developed. The demand for their standardization resulted in the bureau’s taking up the work at the request of the Army and Navy. The bureau furnished information concerning the proper ties of luminous materials, methods of measuring their brightness, estimates of cost of preparation of apparatus and supplies for factory inspection of the dials, extended study of selected speci mens by experiment, and the preparation of models. In this work the bureau has had the most- cordial cooperation of the manufac turers and civilian users. Much information is included in a cir cular on “ Self-luminous materials,” prepared by the bureau for early publication. Heat. The measured control of temperature is a vital factor in many industries. The Bureau of Standards maintains the standard temperature scale for the country, conducts researches in heat and temperature measurements, the measuring apparatus used, and distributes samples of standard pure metals having certified melting points, and of standard materials having certified com bustion heat values. These certified materials are used locally to standardize the heat and temperature measuring apparatus in industrial laboratories for the control of processes of production. During the past year 20,000 thermometers and other heat measuring devices were tested and certified in the bureau’s laboratories. The heat division also serves as a national bureau of information on temperature and heat measurements; hundreds of letters and scores of visiting experts have called for a wide range of data needed in the conduct of industrial researches or in the control of industrial processes. The maintenance of the fundamental temperature scale requires elaborate researches and exacting experimental work. The scales are fixed by the melting and boiling points of metals and other materials, the basic ioo° interval lying between the freezing and boiling points of water. A type of research required is illustrated in a paper, published during the year, on the standardization of the sulphur boiling point, one of the fixed points of the tempera ture scale. To secure constancy of indication of this boiling point, specific experimental conditions must be carefully observed. Similar precautions must be adopted in all other fixed-point determinations. A new thermometer comparator was devised in which melted metal secures the needed temperature uniformity. I I2 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Success in producing high-quality optical glass depends upon the removal of internal strains by effective annealing methods. The heat experts of the bureau recently developed methods for such annealing and for determining by simple tests the practical temperatures required and procedure to be followed. The timetemperature curves for producing ovens were worked out by bureau heat experts for two leading types of coke ovens. The determination of the properties of ammonia now7 completed sup plies refrigeration engineers for the first time with complete and reliable data on this important material, for the calculation of tables covering ranges from — 750 to + 70o in place of the meager data previously available. During the year 106 structural columns were tested in the sys tematic program of investigations on the fire-resistive properties of structural materials to furnish needed basic data as to materials commonly used in buildings under fire conditions. Fire tests were followed by water application to determine the final resistance of the columns to fire and their action when suddenly cooled by hose streams. The resulting data are the most comprehensive ever available. Unprotected steel was found to sustain loads for less than a half hour, concrete columns for over eight hours. Duplicate tests checked within 10 or 20 per cent. The bureau also cooperated in fire-safety w7ork and in the movement for fire protection and prevention. Special conferences were held on the hazards in cotton ginning, fertilizer handling, petroleum shipping, pyroxylin plastics, including motion-picture films. The Bureau of Standards has the only “ altitude laboratory" in the country. This is a small room which may be made air tight and the air partially removed to produce the low pressures encountered at high altitudes. The laboratory and results obtained have been described in four published reports. The engine to be tested is operated in the room and is supplied with cold air at temperatures actually encountered at any altitude desired. Avi ation engines of several types, including the “ Liberty 12,” have thus been tested at simulated altitudes of 30,000 feet under the most scientific observation and measurement. The new “ altitude laboratory,” now nearly completed, will fur nish ampler space and exceptional facilities for testing internalcombustion engines for automotive purposes. Scientific studies on basic problems are in progress; for example, on the rate of flame propagation in a gas-engine cylinder and on pressure cycles, carburetion, ignition, lubrication, etc. The work is a splendid REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 113 example of technology developed during the war and adapted almost without change to important industrial uses. A series of informal bulletins were issued to disseminate the results of the bureau’s engine researches. Seven such bulletins treated of spark-plug problems, seven of engine radiators, and other reports will appear in the next volume of the proceedings of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The demand for the bureau’s tables of melting points of the chemical elements exhausted the edition, and a more complete edition, recently prepared, completes the present data on fixed temperatures. The bureau has published a number of scientific papers on high tem perature subjects; e. g., optical methods of temperature measure ments above 1,500° centigrade; recording pyrometry for use where a printed record is useful; automatic control of high tem peratures by which, for example, the supply of fuel is automati cally varied to maintain the furnace at any desired temperature. Serious losses entailed by furnace failures make a recent paper on the melting points of refractory materials a timely contribu tion to industrial economy. History of the Production of Optical Glass by the Bureau of Standards. The removal, now in progress, of the optical-glass plant from Pittsburgh to Washington closes the first period of its history. A brief risumi of its work foljows: For some time prior to 1914, the bureau had felt the necessity of the United States shaking off the yoke of complete dependence on Europe for its optical glass. European manufacturers had so carefully guarded the secrets of their technique that the necessary preliminary investigations were far too extensive and too expen sive to expect commercial corporations to undertake the pioneer work. With this object in view, a scientific expert, with a knowl edge of glass making, was appointed in July, 1914, to take up experimental investigation of the production of optical glass. He was not an expert in optical glass, however, for there were none in this country at that time. The necessary preliminaries had been completed by December, 1914, is shown by a report of three “ runs of optical glass” for that month. In 1915, 76 melts and 54 pots were made, a new furnace built, 3 different types of optical glass produced, and some annealing experiments carried out. 140261—19---- 8 I 14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The new developments of 1916 included the building of a threechamber furnace, comparative corrosion tests of the molten glass on pots made of domestic and imported clays, the production of a “ very satisfactory” new mixture for pots, and, finally, a batch of borosilicate glass, free from striae, although not entirely free from bubbles. The investigations of 1917 brought out the fact that the poor melts were largely due to unsatisfactory pots. So, the solution of this problem was attacked with increased vigor, resulting in one of the most important steps forward in the history of glass production anywhere; i. e., the casting of pots instead of making them by hand. This method greatly reduces the difficulty, the time, and the cost of making the pots. Those obtained on the market were strongly attacked, especially by the barium glasses, sometimes being eaten entirely through by the molten glass, with the result, of course, that the glass mixture was both impure and discolored. When this country entered the war in April, 1917, the bureau had made over one hundred melts of glass and nearly that many pots. Furthermore, it was at that time making melts of the important borosilicate and barium crown glasses on a commercial scale. In November, 1917, 16 melts of 600 pounds each were reported and shipments to the factories made. From then on regular ship ments continued, that one in the month preceding the armistice being recorded as 3,021 pounds of first-grade binocular glass, rep resenting more than 15,000 pounds of glass actually produced. True to the original object in view, the bureau, in addition to the production of considerable optical glass for military purposes, has at all times given freely all possible assistance to those engaged in the manufacture of jglass. They have frequently consulted its experts as to methods of manipulation, materials, and the manu facture of pots. Conferences have been held at the bureau and its experts sent to the factories when requested. These efforts have been cordially received and appreciated, as shown at one of the meetings of the optical-glass section of the War Industries Board, where the president of a large glass corporation stipulated that they would take up the production of optical glass for one of the entente nations provided the Bureau of Standards would send experts to the factory to lend technical help. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 1 15 Light. The bureau develops light standards, instruments, and methods for measuring light illumination, and determines the optical properties of materials and optical instruments. The precise measurement of light waves, apparently of purely scientific inter est, proved to be of the utmost practical value during the war, since light waves were used by the bureau to control the accuracy of the master gauges used in the manufacture of munitions. The bureau continued the precise measuring of standard wave lengths of selected radiation of the various chemical elements. Special experience and facilities in red and infra-red photography enabled it to do useful work in this field of radiation in the study of solar radiations which could not be photographed heretofore nor observed visually. The bureau’s recent spectrographs of the sun in the red and the invisible radiation beyond the red proved the presence in the sun of 27 known elements. In the red-region radiation, or spectra, 8 metals and 2 rare gases were examined, new work nearly completed on 10 other elemental metals, and work on rare earth elements begun. The bureau has had success in photographing through light fogs or haze. Color screens to cut off the characteristic light of the haze in combination with red, sensitized photoplates enable the plate to record only the light from the landscape behind the haze. The pinacyanol-stained plates proved four times faster than the best commercial panchromatic plates in use. New and important fields of optical research are thus opened in photography which will demand the design of new lenses adapted to red light, the study of radiation reflection by landscapes, and special studies of sensitizing dyes. Color standards and methods of color measurements are now being placed on an excellent scientific basis. The bureau pro poses, in certain cases, to discontinue color grading in terms of material color standards which are difficult to obtain, duplicate, or certify accurately. The new method is to determine the color transmission of light of a definite wave length. This gives an essential property of the material itself independent of the color vision of the observer. The observation easily made in repro ducible units eliminates arbitrary, ill-defined standards. System atic color standards and measurements are of interest in many industries— paints, dyes, inks, textiles, paper, flour, soap, tobacco, butter, and other products— all make the field one of much com I l6 REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. mercial and economic value. The special work of the year included the color grading of papers, pyralin ivory, cottonseed oil, and other materials. The terms used in colorimetry need standardization, and the bureau has aided in systematizing not only the nomenclature, but the units, standards, and symbols. At the request of the eye-hygiene committee of the American Medical Association, the bureau is investigating various glasses now on the market purporting to suppress harmful radiations. A technologic paper was prepared on the basis of tests of 82 samples of eye-protective glasses now on the American market. With this data, oculists or buyers may now prescribe or order glasses having any desired color transmission, acceptance being based upon color tests. Research on quartz resulted in a new means of fixing one point on the high-temperature scale in a region not otherwise well defined; i. e., 573°-3. A very sudden change occurs in the optical properties of quartz, the sharpness of which makes it suitable for the purpose. The action of quartz in twisting the direction of vibration of light waves is known as polarization. This is the basis of polarimetry. The subject has a high theoretical value in physics and many practical uses; e. g., it is the practical basis of sugar testing. Sugar technology is based upon the read ings of the polarimeter, which indicate the percentage of pure sugar in a raw sample. The bureau standardizes the quartz plates, instruments, and accessories used, and a new fund granted by Congress has recently given special impetus to the work, which is proceeding vigorously in cooperation with sugar technologists and the sugar industry. The distribution of the bureau’s standard samples of highly purified sugar for verifying polarimeters is an important means of technical control in the industry. The optical analysis of sugars at the bureau has been a useful service to the industry and in the control of the precision of sugar analyses of imported sugar for the Customs Service. The Medical Service of the War Department requested the bureau’s aid in producing certain rare sugars, about 25 in number. The bureau has tested a number of these by methods devised by careful research. The insistent demands for these rare sugars has led the bureau to study the sources and production. These sugars range in value from a few dollars to several hundred dollars a pound. The bureau has already developed successful methods REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 11 7 for producing pure, white crystals of the so-called d’mannite sugar by double crystallization from the crude manna and at a reason able cost. An example of the use of abstract physics for practical purposes is the use of interference of light waves in studying the behavior of the porcelains and amalgams used to fill teeth. The bureau has for some time been investigating the expansion of such materials when exposed to changes of temperature. This calls for exact measurements of the expansion of these materials when heated. Light waves and the phenomenon of interference are used to measure this expansion with great precision. These dental mate rials were found to expand four times as much as the natural teeth themselves. The data will aid in the development of more perfect filling materials for the teeth. The bureau designed and constructed or cooperated in the developement of many military optical devices. It designed a spotting camera, for example, and redesigned a triangulation camera for the Navy. The spotting camera complete with a manual of instructions was turned over to the military authori ties, and the triangulation camera is now completed. The bureau designed another camera for the panoramic photographing of the inside of a machine-gun barrel. Related work included a night firing device, a marine position finder, a tank sight, a 37-milli meter gun sight, a periscope alidade, Army binoculars, and many other instruments. The bureau also tested 2,000 binoculars, 54 lens systems, 436 samples of optical glass, and made 111 tests of miscellaneous optical devices. Radiometry comprises the field of visible and invisible radia tion. The work is mainly experimental and theoretical, but its immediate application to the industries is both direct, interesting, and important; for example, in high-temperature measurements and researches on efficiencies of light sources. The bureau’s expert reported to a Government department that plain glass is as useful in greenhouses as the ribbed and hammered glasses sometimes considered for such purposes. A radiophonic system of secret signaling was developed by the use of the radiation properties of molybdenite. The sensitiveness of this material made it possible to secure a loud, musical sound by the invisible radiation of wave lengths longer than red light. A system of invisible light signals was also developed, using the ultra-violet waves. Recent use of applied radiometry was made in connection with the glass roofs II8 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. of balloon hangars. On request of the War Department, the bureau recommended a substitute for the special colored glasses designed to exclude the ultra-violet rays which have serious effect on balloon fabric. The bureau’s advice was that they use asphaltum varnish on plain glass, which, of course, is much more economical. Chemistry. In addition to distinctly chemical standardization, chemistry is required in all fields of physical standardization. Many articles published on chemical subjects on work done at the bureau show the variety of application of chemistry in physics and the special technologies. During the year, 18,436 chemical tests were made by the bureau, largely of materials purchased by the Government. Many researches were under way during the year, among which several examples may be cited. Pure materials and their uses form a series of standardization problems. The purification of mercury is now on a routine basis. Pure methane was produced for determining accurately its heat properties. Pure ethyl alcohol was prepared for use in measuring its density and other properties. The bureau’s electrochemical work included several useful researches, such as the lead plating of gas shells, black nickel plating for military equipment, and zinc plating to protect steel from corrosion. Gas chemistry has had at the bureau certain useful applications in aircraft. Balloon fabrics were tested for gas permeability and lasting qualities, and methods and instruments were developed for conducting such tests. A new automatic gas-analysis apparatus, constructed at the bureau, is now in operation at the Government nitrate plant at Arlington. Apparatus was also constructed to record the amount of helium in preparing the gas for use in balloons, and a set is now under construction for the large helium plant of the War Depart ment by which 12 simultaneous and continuous analyses of helium output are automatically made. The shortage of platinum during the war led the bureau to the study of platinum substitutes and certain alloys of gold containing palladium wrere found suitable for many chemical operations. The bureau has continued its interest in standardizing reagents and in the proper labeling of chemical reagents, so that the serious difficulty attending their use by chemists may be reduced. The bureau has organized an interdepartmental committee on paintspecification standardization, and a conference was held at the bureau. The first results are embodied in the Standard Specifica REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. I 19 tions for Linseed Oil, recently published by the bureau. A new edition of the circular on soaps was issued. In addition, the bureau has continued technical analyses and chemical researches on a very wide range of materials. Materials. The bureau’s work in materials includes a wide range of struc tural and miscellaneous materials, such as metals, cement, lime, paper, textiles, rubber, leather, oils, clay products, etc. All cement used by the Government, by Executive order, must conform to the United States Government standard specifications for cement. The cement tested by the bureau covered shipments of 6,588,923 barrels, practically double that of the previous year, and 12 times the amount tested in the year 1916-17. The rejection of 10 per cent of the cement tested shows the need for such testing. Researches were made on the properties of cement and concrete, fineness of grinding, air analysis, standard cement sieves, volume changes in finished mortars and cements, concrete oil storage, waterproofing of concrete and stucco, and the acceleration of hardening of cement. The bureau’s samples of finely ground cement of definite and certified fineness of grain enables the tech nical laboratories of the country to standardize their own sieves accurately. The construction of concrete ships was initiated in the bureau’s cement laboratory, the chief of which became the directing head of such construction. The bureau has since continued its tech nical cooperation with the Shipping Board in numerous ways. During the year, a study of the cement gun, by which the material is shot in place instead of being cast, was completed and reported upon. Improved methods were developed affecting the proper ties and ingredients of cement and concrete and the time of mixing. A useftd improvement consisted in the use of papei molds in place of the steel molds hitherto used for casting concrete test cylinders. Lime has commercial uses not only as a structural material, but in other industries. Standards of quality for lime are quite recent. In the work on lime the bureau has had the cordial cooperation of the National Lime Association and similar organ izations, all of which have committees on cooperation with the bureau. Important researches under way during the year have included the compressive strength of cement and lime mortar, the effect of hydrated lime on the properties of cement, causes of I 20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. “ unsoundness ” in lime plasters, and the measurement of plas ticity. The bureau’s methods developed for the study of plasters apply also to gypsum and other wall plasters. Rubber has such varied and important uses that the bureau endeavors to handle basic problems of the physics and chemistry of rubber and develop methods of test. Methods of determining the ingredients have been developed, and many samples of manu factured rubber goods were analyzed during the year, including balloon fabrics, rubber tires, rubber packing, hospital supplies, fire hose, and others. The bureau tested within a year samples representing the purchase of about 250,000 tires and established a local laboratory at one of the large rubber centers. Assistance was rendered to makers of solid-rubber tires in improving compounds used, and as a result a solid tire was developed which met all requirements. The possibilities of rubber research are as broad as the usefulness of the material. In the new quarters in the industrial laboratory it is expected that the work may be extended to include important and fundamental investigations. The technology of leather is an important part of the bureau’s work. A research completed during the year had to do with certain chemicals, including glucose and salts, which are put into the leather. The bureau is working in close cooperation with the Tanners’ Council, the American Leather Research Laboratory, and the War Department. Special studies were made on sole leathers and on leather for shoe uppers to be used in the making of Army shoes, and also on the physical properties of harness leathers in connection with the stuffing material. Miscellaneous tests in the leather laboratory cover leather packings, water proofed leather, and artificial leather. The bureau cooperated in an advisory capacity in the develop ment of specifications for leather for the General Supply Com mittee, the War Department, and the Panama Canal. Much progress may be expected during the coming fiscal year in this direction. In this connection, arrangements have been partially completed for installing an experimental tannery at the Bureau of Standards for use in leather research. The new laboratory provides ample space for extensive research and testing in accord ance with an outlined program. The Government uses approximately 50,000 toils of paper per year; this is bought on specification and tested at the Bureau of Standards. Five thousand samples were examined, of which 4,213 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. I2 1 were for the Government, which included more than 19,000 separate tests. The bureau demonstrated that 700,000 bales of munitions linters left unused when the war closed could be used for the making of paper. Samples of paper were experimentally made on its paper mill to demonstrate that good paper could be made from such linters. As a demonstration, the programs of the annual conven tion of the Interstate Cotton Seed Crushers^ Association of New Orleans were printed on paper manufactured at the bureau from cotton linters. About 700,000 bales per year are available for paper making, and, if care is taken to keep the linters clean, a still larger amount can be utilized. The physical, chemical, and microscopic testing of textiles is an important field of the work of the bureau which has had special value during the war in connection with Army uniforms, blankets, airplane and balloon. fabrics, tent material, and other fabrics. The examination of English, French, and German fabrics showed that few of them were as good as the average of American manufac ture. Woolen uniforms were examined for fastness of color, nature of dye, and the amount of cotton present. During the year an investigation has been in progress on sizing compounds for cotton yarns preliminary to the work on practical experiments in the bureau’s cotton mill. In connection with airplane fabrics a study was made of stress in flight and new fabrics were designed and manufactured to improve serviceability. The increasing size of airplanes makes it important to have a stronger fabric. With the same object a tautness meter was designed and constructed at the bureau for the study of the wing fabrics in flight. Numerous readings taken on wing coverings of planes showed that tautness may be used to interpret the effects of humidity and tempera ture on the life of the fabric. With the occupancy of the new industrial laboratory, the textile section will have unusual equip ment for research— a small felting unit, a complete unit of cotton machinery, and a similar outfit of woolen machines. These are of the latest manufactured design improved for the accurate requirements of laboratory work. One important object in view is the development of exact specifications for fabric, especially for the military departments. Such specifications will also be useful for other purposes, and the general results of the investiga tions will all be of service to the textile industry and the general public. 1 22 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. ' The testing-machine laboratory has continued a long list of use ful investigations during the year, the tests numbering 3,000 in all. Some of these were extensive researches such as the test of a 150ton floating crane for the Norfolk Navy Yard, the experimental study of electric welding for the Emergency Fleet Corporation, and technical investigations of motor-truck wheels and their behavior under stress. $ Aeronautical Instruments. Measuring instruments are vital to control in aviation, and the standardization of such instruments is of the utmost urgency. The bureau reached mathematical solutions of the theory of such instruments, so that the results may be applied to particular cases. The failure of the metals used in the construction of aeronautic instruments to be perfectly elastic proved to be a critical source of error, and alloys were developed which are believed to be superior to the metals previously used. The bureau has tested 578 airplane instruments, completed researches on the errors of instruments, studied different types of tachometers, and deter mined the complete corrections for the barographs used in the flight which established the world’s altitude record. Members of the bureau’s staff conducted flight tests of airplane instruments, making airplane flights in the dark to demonstrate a projection-type, night-altitude indicator. A series of high-altitude flights was made to study the oxygen-supply apparatus, the rate-ofclimb indicators, the gyroscope, and other inclinometers. Tests were also made in flights across the English Channel and in the suburbs of Paris. An interesting example of the bureau’s work in technical educa tion was the school of aeronautic instruments conducted for avia tors. This included a three-weeks’ lecture and laboratory course covering the theory and testing of aeronautical instruments. The data and other illustrative materials for similar courses were also furnished for the use of the Army. Metals. The metallurgical division of the bureau engages in fundamental researches affecting the improvement of metals, the development of new metals, and methods of avoiding metal failures and pro longing the useful life of metals and metal products. For this purpose, the bureau has a well-equipped experimental foundry, rolling mill, metallographic laboratory, heat-treatment laboratory, REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 123 chemical laboratories, and a full equipment of electrical furnaces and pyrometers. The standardization of the purity, the compo sition, microstructure, and heat treatment are possible only through the measured control of all the factors, such as tempera ture, rates of heating and cooling, pouring temperatures, etc. Many practical problems of metal failures have been solved in the laboratory and a great amount of work done on improving the quality of metals by heat treatment and the standardization of pouring temperatures and finishing temperatures. An important output of the metal laboratory consists of specifi cations for metals for special uses. During the war a series of aircraft-materials standards were developed. In peace times the specifications cover the regular supplies needed by the Government departments, and special cases, such as statuary bronzes and metals for other special uses. Several cases of the bureau’s aid to the metal industries will illustrate the work. Collapsible tin tubes are used for many classes of materials, and at the request of manufacturers of such tubes the bureau pointed out the several causes of defects. The behavior of aeronautic-pressure instru ments depends upon the metal diaphragm. The success of several new alloys designed to correct the errors in such instruments de pended upon proper annealing, for which suitable methods were developed by the metal experts. The bureau studied the deteri oration of zinc-aluminum alloys used in die casting and reported upon the limitations of such material for this work. In another case the causes of certain defects in sterling-silver ware were pointed out after careful study of the ware. Manufacturers of razors and cutlery have recently requested the bureau to devise methods for measuring and defining the sharpness of fine cutting edges. Since this is practically a new field of standardization, there is little or no available or published experience to serve as a basis. Changes in the rate of cooling observed in any metal are indi cations of quality and composition. The study of these is called “ thermal analysis.” An inexpensive method for such work was applied at the bureau during the year, a stop watch being substi tuted for the expensive chronograph usually used. Heat treat ment is being examined with great care, and work is in active progress on a widely used structural alloy steel (containing 3)/% per cent nickel). The purpose is to correlate the properties with certain tests now made throughout the country. A detailed study of high-speed steels is being made to gain knowledge of their constitution and properties and to develop a method for comparing 124 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. the relative value of two cutting steels. An important investiga tion is under way to find suitable steels and treatments for the same for use in making precision length gauges. The important factors in this work are the determination of the resistance to wear and deformation with time, the resistance to corrosion, soundness, expansibility, and economy under varying heat treat ments. Small amounts of gases like nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide affect the breaking strength and other properties of metals. These questions must be attacked in a fundamental way, and the work in pure metals has this study as one of its objects. Such pure metals are melted in vacuum furnaces, and the product is practically gas free. In the making of alloys uniformity is an important result to be attained, as segregation naturally is detrimental to the quality of the alloy. The bureau has conducted many studies of the “ segregation” of the ingre dients in the alloys. Work now in progress includes the prepara tion of electrolytic iron and melts or alloys prepared in. vacuum, the making of pure aluminum, methods of determining gases in steel, deoxidizing agents for steel making, and the development of methods of steel analysis. The bureau foundry is for experimental casting of metals and alloys and also is used practically as a commercial foundry sup plying special castings for instrument parts required at the bureau and by other Government laboratories. This is one of the very few experimental foundries in the country, and it has many possibilities for service to industry. The work of the foundry included studies of Government bronze and its substitutes, studies of the relation of statuary bronzes to their weathering efFects, efficiency studies of electric furnaces, investigation of light alu minum-casting alloys, and practical and experimental castings for laboratory use. An auxiliary investigation of molding sands of various types is of great importance to the foundry industry. New Industrial Laboratory. The branch laboratory of the bureau which has been maintained for some years at Pittsburgh, Pa., is to be discontinued and the equipment, staff, and work consolidated with the main laboratories of the bureau in Washington. On the completion of the new industrial laboratory designed to house this work, the installation began, and at this writing much of the equipment is transferred from Pittsburgh into the new quarters. In this connection, REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 125 attention should be called to the excellent design of the new build ing and the unusual facilities which will be afforded for industrial research, facilities probably unexcelled in any laboratory. The facilities of the new laboratory include the full resources of the well developed and equipped laboratories of the scientific divi sions, chemistry, heat, light, electricity, and the measures of length, mass, capacity, density, pressure, and time. Ceramics. Clay products form a whole group of useful and art industries, ranging from the crudest brick and tile to the finest porcelains used in the household, including the art porcelain ware, vases, and other art products. The bureau’s laboratories have been able to reproduce many of the finest qualities of foreign ware, both body and glaze. Chemical porcelain ware is a type of successful work accomplished. Much remains to be done in placing the clayproducts’ industries on a thoroughly scientific basis, but great progress has been made. The refractory materials used in numerous industries have been the subject of investigation at the bureau and new substances having superior qualities have been developed. Several com panies have undertaken to manufacture, for example, a new type of refractory proposed by the bureau last year, which combines light weight, porosity, good heat-insulating properties, and a high refractoriness, and is especially suited for use in marine boilers as furnace crowns, and for kiln blocks for terra cotta. The bureau has been able to produce pyrometer tubes more than 7 feet in length of American porcelains, similar to those imported from Germany before the war. The investigations of hard-fire porcelains which have been under way for three years are nearly completed. The properties of more than 300 compositions have been studied to acquire the technical data needed in the industry. Several thousand pieces of table ware were glazed and fired. The results will shed much light on practical aspects of hard-fire porcelain manufacture. Tiles used in wall construction were the subject of an important investigation by the bureau. The results of about 250 tests are published in a bureau technologic paper. The data will be valuable for the building industries. It is found that the source of the clay profoundly affects the clay behavior. The correlation data will be complete when the results of similar tests from other labora tories are assembled. Gratifying results were obtained in the 126 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. study of architectural terra cotta. Much attention was paid to examining materials in actual buildings for various periods of time. Two striking types of failure were studied and accounted for. The laboratory work included absorption tests, artificial freezing, and strength determinations of terra cotta made from various clays largely used by manufacturers. The test pieces were burned at seven different temperatures. The resulting data will soon be announced in a final report covering all the work of the bureau on this building material. Two technologic papers have been issued on the principles of iron enameling and researches are under way to solve problems met with in the manufacture of such materials. The new industrial laboratory will give unusual facilities for the work in clay products. All of the contracts for the new kilns and furnaces have been let, the machinery has been purchased, and the installation of the equipment has been begun. * The Bureau and Industrial Progress. The Bureau of Standards occupies a pivotal position in indus trial reconstruction following the war. The great lesson of the war was that standardization was a first essential to efficient war fare. War industry differs from the industries of peace mainly in its urgency. The fundamental technical knowledge and requirements are similar. The military work of the Bureau of Standards during the war, therefore, will be of value to the indus tries during the critical days to come. The applications of science to industry are now recognized as of priceless value by the lead ing countries of the world. For this reason England, Australia, and Japan, among others, have on a new and large scale decided upon national programs of scientific research on the vital problems of industry. There is some danger lest we miss the full lesson of the war while other nations make prompt application. Technical experts, societies, and the industries begin to realize the supreme importance of standardization, and the era of stand ardization may be said to have fairly begun. The bureau is represented on practically all of the great standardizing commit tees of the technical societies and is working in close cooperation with them. For the Government the bureau is a scientific advisor on the subject of standard specifications and has performed this service for practically every department and governmental agency, notably the War Department and the General Supply Committee. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. I 27 In many cases the Bureau of Standards conducts fundamental researches in the laboratory on points which the specifications disclose. It is only by such research that it is possible to formu late standards of quality and performance of materials and appliances. The universal interest in standards reflects the grow ing appreciation of standardization as a means of industrial progress. The annual review of existing specifications for the purpose of incorporating new knowledge has had a most fruitful effect in stimulating the prompt application of new scientific knowledge. It is doubtful whether there is another subject as fruitful of improved economy and efficiency as the standardization which is basic to all industry. It is the standard of quality which deter mines the materials to be used, the form which they take, and the processes by which they are produced in the factory. It is also the standard of performance which is the user’s ultimate test. In other words, standardization involves nothing less than the complete technical control of industry, by which is meant that modern industry must be based upon scientifically ascertained standards whether of measure, of quality, of performance, or of practice. From a national point of view, the work of the Bureau of Standards, therefore, is directed toward making itself as effect ive as possible in stimulating and in actively cooperating by research and investigation in all standardizing movements in which its cooperation is sought. The annual report of the Bureau of Standards shows many interesting examples of the variety and usefulness of this work. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS. (S am . L. R o g e r s , Director.) The end of the fiscal year 1919 marked the close of the sevenyear intercensal period during which the Bureau of the Census carried on numerous lines of statistical work at decennial, quin quennial, biennial, annual, quarterly, monthly, and semimonthly intervals, as prescribed by law; and on July 1, 1919, began the three-year decennial census period, within which time censuses of the population, agriculture, manufactures, mines and quarries, oil and gas wells, and forestry and forest products of the United States will be taken, compiled, and published. During the fiscal year 1919 the Bureau of the Census carried on the compilation of the results of its quinquennial census of electrical industries; completed the work on its decennial inquiries relating to transportation by water and shipbuilding; brought well toward completion the preparation of its decennial report on religious bodies; completed and published a special report on marriage and divorce; conducted the regular annual inquiries relating to births, deaths, States, and municipalities; published quarterly statistics of stocks of leaf tobacco; made monthly and semimonthly collections and publications of statistics on cotton, cotton seed, and cotton-seed products; made special enumerations of the population in four counties; carried on the publication of weekly mortality reports for certain large cities; compiled statistics relating to the mortality from the influenza epidemic; performed a large amount of war work for other governmental establishments ; complied with numerous requests for information; and made de tailed preparations for taking the Fourteenth (1920) Decennial Census. The work done along the above lines during the fiscal year and since its close is described below. CURRENT AND COMPLETED WORK ON STATUTORY INQUIRIES. Electrical Industries. This quinquennial inquiry, covering central light and power stations, electric railways, telephones and telegraphs, and munici pal electric fire-alarm and police-patrol signaling systems, was made as of December 31, 1917. 128 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 129 The greater part of the data were obtained through correspond ence, but it was necessary to send a number of men into the field to obtain information. The field canvass was begun in April, 1918, and was substantially completed in the following December. Preliminary reports pertaining to the several inquiries covered by the canvass were prepared and issued. The final reports on telegraphs and on electric fire-alarm and police-patrol signaling systems were issued in the form of a single bulletin on July 19, 1919; and the work on the reports for the other inquiries is nearly completed. Transportation by Water. This decennial inquiry was made as of December 31, 1916. In order to avoid the disclosure of information of value to the enemy, the report was not made public during the war. After the signing of the armistice the report was completed and sent to the printer, and will be ready for distribution in the near future. Shipbuilding. Statistics for this industry were collected in connection with the last quinquennial census of manufactures, covering the calendar year 1914, and afurthe ' canvass was made in conjunction with the census of transportation by water, taken as of December 31, 19 6. Although the results of these two investigations were compiled and the preparation of the combined report completed prior to the beginning of the fiscal year 1919, they were withheld from publi cation because of the inadvisability of giving out the information during the war. The figures, however, were placed immediately at the disposal of the Shipping Board and other war agencies of the Government. In January, 1919, the manuscript was sent to the printer, and the report was issued, in bulletin form, on May 16, 1919Religious Bodies. This decennial inquiry covered the calendar year 1916. The work was done almost entirely through correspondence. The preparation of the report was frequently interrupted by war work. On May 2, 1918, the bureau issued preliminary figures, subject to correction, showing the basic facts, and on January 17, 1919, a revision of the first statement was published presenting additional statistics. The complete report is being issued in the form of two bound volumes having a total of 1,318 pages. 140261— 19— 9 130 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Vital Statistics. Births.— The “ birth-registration area,” which, when established in 1915, comprised 10 States and the District of Columbia, approx imately 31 per cent of the total population of the United States, grew rapidly, until in 1917 it embraced 20 States and the District of Columbia, about 53 per cent of the country’s population. No changes have been made since 1917. During the year 1919 tests were made in Illinois and Mississippi, but the birth registration in both States failed to measure up to the bureau’s standard of 90 per cent of completeness. A press summary of the birth-statistics report for 1917 was issued in June, 1919, and work is progressing on the report for 1918. Deaths.— The “ death-registration area” now comprises 30 States, the Terri lory of Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and 23 cities in nonregistration States, and contains approximately fourfifths of the population of the United States. The most recent additions are Illinois and Louisiana, admitted for the year 1918, and Mississippi, admitted for 1919. A press summary giving statistics of deaths covering the cal endar year 1917 was issued June 25, 1919. The annual mortality report for 1917 has been completed. Weekly Health Index.— The publication of the Weekly Health Index, inaugurated in October, 1917, giving mortality reports for 46 of the largest cities of the country, has been continued. During the epidemic of influenza and pneumonia, additional sheets were included, which gave the number of deaths resulting from those causes. Beginning with the issue for June 17, 1919, there have also been presented in each week’s issue statistics, obtained from the leading industrial insurance companies, showing number of policies in force, total number of death claims, and number of claims per 1,000 policies in force. Need of Federal legislation providing for registration of births and deaths.— In the matter of birth and death registration the United States has not kept pace with many of the other countries of the world. This condition is due to the fact that registration has been left to the control of the State governments, many of which have failed to establish and maintain adequate systems of recording births and deaths. The practice of the Census Bureau is to admit to the birth-registration area those States, and to the deathregistration area those States and those cities in nonregistration REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 131 States, in which the bureau’s tests indicate the registration to represent at least 90 per cent of all births, or of all deaths, as the case may be, if the registration systems justify the expectation of a more nearly complete registration in the future. Thus far the only legislative action taken by the Federal Govern ment toward the improvement of our vital statistics is found in a joint resolution of Congress, approved February 11, 1903, re questing the State authorities to cooperate with the Census Bureau in securing a uniform system of birth and death registra tion. The bureau has achieved some success in arousing the interest of the States in the matter. Under present conditions, however, it is likely to be many years before the last one of the 48 States enacts and properly administers adequate registration laws. It will thus be necessary, if the birth and mortality records of the country are to be reliable, permanent, and readily available for reference, to provide for a comprehensive system of Federal control and supervision. Financial Statistics of Cities. The report presenting financial statistics of cities having over 30,000 inhabitants, for the fiscal year 1918, has been completed. This report presents detailed statistics of revenues, expenditures, value of municipal properties, municipal indebtedness, assess ments, and taxation; and also gives certain data relating to gov ernmental organizations. The field and office work on the 1919 inquiry is now in progress, and it is expected that copy for the report will be sent to the printer early in 1920. General Statistics of Cities. In addition to its reports giving financial statistics of cities, the Census Bureau issues reports on various phases of municipal gov ernmental activities, in addition to those pertaining to finances, under the title “ General Statistics of Cities. ” For 1918 the sub ject covered under this head was municipal markets, and on July 23, 1919, the complete report was published in the form of a 56-page bulletin. The subject is a timely one, and the information presented will be of value to cities that are contemplating the establishing of municipal markets. Financial Statistics of States. The report presenting financial statistics of States for the fiscal year 1918 has been completed. This report follows closely the 132 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. lines of those giving financial statistics of cities. Work on the inquiry for the fiscal year 1919 is now in progress, and it is expected that copy for the report will be ready for the printer early in 1920. Cotton and Cotton Seed. During the fiscal year the Bureau of the Census conducted its regular inquiries in regard to cotton and cotton seed. In addition to an annual bulletin on cotton production and distribution for the season of 1917-18 and a pamphlet giving complete statistics of cotton ginned from the crop of 1918, there were issued 10 reports relating to cotton ginned to specified dates during the ginning season; 12 reports, at monthly intervals, on cotton con sumed, imported, exported, and on hand, and active consuming cotton spindles; and another monthly series relating to cotton seed received, crushed, and on hand, and cottonseed products manufac tured, shipped out, and on hand. The pamphlet presenting the final figures on cotton ginned from the crop of 1918 (together with data for earlier years) was distributed in time to be of use in mak ing comparisons between the ginnings from the crop of 1919 and those for corresponding periods in earlier years. Stocks of Leaf Tobacco. Four reports on stocks of leaf tobacco held by certain classes of manufacturers and dealers were published at intervals of three months. In addition, Bulletin 139, “ Stocks of Leaf Tobacco: 1918,” was prepared and distributed. This bulletin, which pre sents data contained in the quarterly reports, with comparative figures for earlier years and various other statistical information pertaining to the tobacco industry, is the second of an annual series designed to compile for ready reference the statistics of the various phases of the tobacco industry published by the several Federal bureaus. Official Register. Preparations were begun during the latter part of the year for the compilation of the July 1, 1919, edition of the Official Register of the United States, which consists mainly of a directory of Fed eral employees, showing name, designation, compensation, etc. SPECIAL AND MISCELLANEOUS LINES OF WORK. Marriage and Divorce. Marriage and divorce statistics for the calendar year 1916 were collected in 1917. A t the close of the fiscal year 1918 the prepa ration of the report had been substantially finished. A press REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 133 summary was issued March 20, and the report itself was pub lished April 7, 1919. The work of compilation and preparation for printing was delayed somewhat by war conditions. Special Censuses of Population. Special censuses of the population of Okmulgee, Ottawa, and Tulsa Counties, Okla., were taken, at local request and expense, in August, 1918, December, 1918, and January, 1919, respectively. A special census of Charles County, Md., was taken in March, 1919, at the request of the Secretary of the Treasury, in order to deter mine the effect of the recent influenza epidemic therein. The work was done in cooperation with the Public Health Service. Statistics of Fats and Oils. In December, 1918, the monthly collection of data in regard to the production, consumption, and stocks of fats and oils was dis continued by the Food Administration. In view of the need for reliable information concerning these commodities during the reconstruction period, the Bureau of the Census was authorized to collect and publish, quarterly during the calendar year 1919, similar statistics. This work is now in progress. United States Life Tables. As stated in my last report, the bureau computed a series of ‘ life tables” supplementary to the series issued in 1916, exhibiting mortality conditions in certain areas for the years 1890 and 1901 and during the decennium 1901-1910. These tables, which provide valuable comparative data for use in studying changes in mortality rates, will be included in a new edition of the life tables, materially enhancing their value. In connection with certain of the original tables there will be given commutation columns, annuities, and premiums at various rates of interest; and the data on which the various tables were based, the derivation of the theory, and an explanation of the methods of computing them will also be shown. Special Investigation of Influenza Epidemic. A compilation of data in regard to the mortality resulting from the epidemic of influenza and pneumonia during the last four mouths of 1918 was made for the States of Indiana and Kansas and the city of Philadelphia. The results, in the form of tables and graphs, are now ready for publication. Thanks are due to the United States Public Health Service for its generous financial assistance in this work. 134 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. International Statistical Year Book. At the request of the secretary of the International Statistical Institute at The Hague, the Bureau of the Census compiled detailed data relating to the United States as a whole and to the States individually for inclusion in the International Statistical Year Book (Annuaire Internationale de Statistique). The work was begun in February, 1919, and completed in the following June. Statistical Directory of State Institutions. During the fiscal year 1918 the bureau brought to substantial completion the compilation of a statistical directory of State institutions for the dependent, defective, and delinquent classes; but because of the great amount of war work and other current work, the publication of this directory has been delayed. It is now in the hands of the printer, however, and will be issued at an early date. Searching of Census Records to Determine Ages. During the fiscal year 2,315 searches of census records were made for the Pension Bureau, in order to determine the ages of applicants for pensions and increases of pensions. Other searches were made for genealogical purposes and for the purpose of supply ing statements as to the ages of children affected by the child-labor laws. A vast amount of work was done in searching the records to establish the ages of men who had not registered for military service, but were believed to be within the prescribed ages. Miscellaneous Information Supplied Other Governmental Agencies and Outside Organizations. Numerous compilations of statistical information from the bureau’s records were made in compliance with requests received from other Federal bureaus and from private concerns, consisting chiefly of industrial statistics. Among the organizations for which they were made were the Chamber of Commerce of the United States; the U. S. Tariff Commission; the Office of the Surgeon General, War Department; the General Electric Co.; Power Plant Engineering (periodical); the Sinclair Refining Co., Chicago; the Southwestern Electrical & Gas Association, Dallas, Tex.; and the National Association of Cotton Manufacturers. REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 135 WAR WORK. Census of Materials and Commodities for Use of War Agencies. This work, which was authorized on April 8, 1918, was described on pages 92 and 93 of my report for 1918. It was undertaken to secure statistical information needed by the War Trade Board, the War Industries Board, the Shipping Board, the Food Admin istration, the Council of National Defense, and the Commercial Economy Board, in regard to the production and stocks on hand of the following-named classes of commodities, listed in tlje order in which work upon them was begun: Kapok fiber; jute; leather stocks; boots, shoes, and manufactured leather goods; silk; anti mony; graphite crucibles; wool manufactures— machinery and production; and iron and steel products. For each of these classes of commodities, except leather stocks, boots, shoes, and manufactured leather goods, and graphite crucibles, only one report was made, beginning with that for kapok fiber, which referred to May 1, 1918. For leather stocks, monthly reports relating to the last day of each month, May to December, 1918, and quarterly reports, as of March 31 and June 30, 1919, have been compiled; for stocks of boots, shoes, and manufactured leather goods, the reports referred to the last day of each month, June to December, 1918, and to March 31 and June 30, 1919; and for graphite crucibles, two reports were issued, as of June 30 and Sep tember 30, 1918. The collection of statistics of leather stocks and stocks of boots, shoes, and manufactured leather goods is of great importance as a conservation measure. The collection of these statistics, at quarterly intervals, was accordingly continued at the request of the War Industries Board and upon the recommendation of the war service committee representing the shoe and leather industries of the United States Chamber of Commerce. A simplified form of schedule was tised for the quarterly statistics. Statistics for all the war commodities covered by the several inquiries have been revised and rearranged for printing in a con densed form more convenient for reference. This is designed to be the final presentation of these statistics, and will constitute a permanent record of the census of war commodities. Census of Commercial Greenhouses. This inquiry was made at the request of the priorities division of the War Industries Board, which desired the information for use in connection with fuel restrictions. 136 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Work Done for Provost Marshal General. The 293,788 enlistments in the Navy, the Naval Reserve, the National Naval Volunteers, and the Marine Corps during the period from April 2, 1917, to June 30, 1918, were allocated by the Census Bureau. Estimates were prepared in July, 1918, of the number of British subjects in the United States subject to draft under the terms of the conventions concluded between this country and Great Britain, and also of the numbers of men in the United States from 18 to 20 and from 32 to 45 years of age, inclusive. Determination of Ages of Registrants. District attorneys and other officials of the Department of Jus tice were, at their request, supplied with age certificates for men who, although of military age, had not registered for the selective draft; and men requesting it were given statements showing their ages as indicated by the census records. Liberty Loan Work, In connection with the Liberty Loans made during the fiscal year, the Bureau of the Census aided the Treasury Department by sending out literature to various mailing lists. Compilation of Statistics Relative to Foreign Countries for Peace Conference. This compilation comprised statistics of the movement of cereals, salt, oil, coal, and wood on the railways and waterways of Russia in 1908, 1909, and 1910, the latest years for which figures were available ; a tabulation showing the distribution of manufacturing establishments and wage earners in Austria by industries and factory-inspection districts ; and statistics in regard to the exports and imports of countries and colonial possessions in Africa. Information for U. S. Shipping Board. A t the request of the U. S. Shipping Board, detailed tables were prepared showing the population and value of agricultural products within a radius of 100 miles of each of 28 cities located on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts. Miscellaneous War Work. In addition to the foregoing, the Census Bureau performed numerous small amounts of war work for the Post Office Depart ment, the Navy Department, the Department of Labor, the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, the Fuel Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Telephone and Telegraph Admin istration, the Office of the Chief of Engineers, the General Engineer REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 13 7 Depot, the Office of the Director of Military Aeronautics, the Emergency Fleet Corporation, the Railroad Administration, the War Industries Board, the War Trade Board, the Capital Issues Committee, the Central Statistical Clearing House, the Employ ment Sendee, the Reconstruction Survey, the War Service Com mittee of the Rubber Industry of the United States, and the American Electric Railway Association War Board. Members of Force Enlisted and Drafted Into Military and Naval Services. During the fiscal year 25 office and field employees of the Census Bureau entered the military and naval services (not including those who joined as Army field clerks). The total number who entered those services from the outbreak of the war to the signing of the armistice was 79. PUBLICATIONS ISSUED. Following is a list of the more important reports published by the bureau during the fiscal year and since its close. In addition, various bulletins and press summaries have been issued. Class an d title (q uarto except as otherwise indicated). D ate issued. Deaf-mutes in the U nited S ta te s ........................................................................................... Stocks of leaf tobacco (octavo)—B ulletin No. 136............................................................ Statistics of fire departm en ts of cities having a population of over 30,000: 1917......... Census of th e Virgin Islands of th e U nited States: N ov. i, 1917.................................... Specified sources of m unicipal revenues: 1917..................................................................... Ju ly Ju ly Aug. Aug. Aug. Pages. 221 5>19i 8 17» 1918 13» 1918 27,1918 28,1918 44 IOS * 47 140 513 Financial statistics of cities having a population of over 30,000: 1917........................... Oct. 5,1918 Financial statistics of States, 1917.......................... .............................................................. Oet. 10,1918 Negro population in th e U nited States: 1790-1915............................................................. Oct. 28,1918 373 129 844 5 35 Birth statistics for the registration area of th e U nited S tates: 1916.............................. Nov. 6,1918 Cotton production an d distribution, season of 1917-18—B ulletin No. 137.................. Jan. 1,1919 Census of m anufactures, 1914—Vol. I, reports b y States and principal cities 0 .......... Feb. 26,1919 Shipbuilding (including b o at building): 1916 and 1914.................................................... Census of m anufactures, 1914—Vol. II, reports for selected industries and detailed statistics for industries b y States ° .................................................................................T. Census of w ar commodities: Statistics of leather............................................................................................................. Iron and steel....................................................................................................................... A ntim ony, and graphite c ru cib les................................................................................. Textile fibers—wool, silk, jute, and k a p o k ................................................................... 96 13 5 1,677 &May 16,1919 Ju ly i 35 2,1919 *»047 Dec. 12,1918 Jan . 31,1919 XX x6 10 16 A pr. 4,1919 A pr. 17,1919 J u ly 29,19x8 Apr. 30,19x9 (June 14,1918 Thirty-four reports, in card form, relating to cotton and cotton seed .......................... ! [June to 19,1919 0The various reports bound together iu these volumes had previously been published separately. &Withheld from earlier publication for military reasons. 34 138 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOURTEENTH CENSUS. Fourteenth Census Law. As set forth in my annual report for 1918, a bill to provide for the Fourteenth and subsequent decennial censuses was drafted by the Census Bureau and submitted to the House Committee on the Census. The bill was passed by the House of Representa tives July 2, 1918, and by the Senate, with amendments, January 14, 1919; the conference report was adopted by the Senate Feb ruary 28, 1919, and by the House March 3, 1919; and the bill was approved by you on March 3, 1919. In many respects it follows the lines of the Thirteenth Census legislation, but there are de partures in regard to a few important features and numerous unimportant ones. The most significant points of difference are as follows: Section 1.— Insertion of provision for census of forestry and forest products. Section 6.— Reclassification of clerical salaries, so as to provide a much larger number of classes, differing from each other by only $60 per annum between $900 and $1,440, and by $120 per annum between $1,440 and $1,800; increase in compensation of clerical and subclerical employees generally; and provision for preference to honorably discharged soldiers, sailors, and marines, and their widows, in making appointments to positions in all executive departments and independent governmental establishments. Section 7.— Provision, applying to Federal service generally, requiring Civil Service Commission to examine applicants tem porarily absent from the places of their legal residence without requiring them to return for the purpose of examination; and provision authorizing selection of temporary Census employees from reemployment registers established by Executive order of November 29, 1918. Section 8.-—Omission of provision for securing information in regard to uneihployment on census date and during preceding calendar year and in regard to Civil War veterans; insertion of provision for obtaining information as to encumbrances on homes and farms; omission of provision for enumeration of inmates of institutions for dependent, defective, and delinquent classes (this inquiry to be made after close of census period) ; inclusion of inquiry as to sex of farm operators; amplification of irrigation in quiry; and addition of drainage inquiry. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 139 Section g.— Provision for appointment of supervisors by Secre tary of Commerce, upon recommendation of Director of Census, instead of by President, by and with advice and consent of Senate. Section 20.— Change of census date from April 15 to January 1; reduction of minimum size limit for cities in which enumeration must be completed within two weeks, from 5,000 to 2,500. Sections 21-24.— These sections, which provide penalties for violations of the Fourteenth Census act, have been so drawn as to make them more effective and more readily enforceable than the corresponding sections of the Thirteenth Census act. Section 31.— Provision for mid-decennial census of agriculture, to be taken in 1925 and at 10-year intervals thereafter. Section 32.— Provision for biennial census of products of manu facturing industries, beginning in 1921. Joint Advisory Committee of American Statistical and Economic Associations. At my invitation, under date of November 18, 1918, the presi dents of the American Statistical and American Economic Associa tions appointed a joint committee to advise the Director of the Census and the Department of Commerce in connection with the work of the Fourteenth Census. This committee was composed of six members, namely: Representing American Statistical Association— W. S. Rossiter, chairman, formerly chief clerk, Bureau of the Census, now presi dent Rumford Press, Concord, N. H.; Prof. Carroll W. Doten, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dean Edwin F. Cay, Harvard University. Representing American Economic Association— Prof. Wesley C. Mitchell, Columbia University; Prof. E. R. A. Seligman, Columbia University; Prof. Walter F. Willcox, Cornell University. The joint advisory committee has thus far held six meetings. It has given very careful consideration to all phases of the census work thus far planned, and has made a number of helpful recom mendations. The members of this committee have rendered val uable assistance in connection with the preparatory work of the Fourteenth Census. Field Force. Continental United States (exclusive of Alaska) was divided into 372 supervisors’ districts. These districts, outside the large cities, were as a rule coextensive with the congressional districts; and each of the large cities was placed under the charge of a single 140 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. supervisor, with the exception of New York City, which was divided into four districts. A t the Thirteenth Census the enumeration was made as of April 15, and at earlier censuses as of June 1, but under the exist ing law the next and subsequent censuses will be taken as of Jan uary 1. This necessitates the appointment of the supervisors at an earlier date than heretofore, and with the least possible delay. In regard to the selection and recommendation for appoint ment of candidates for supervisors, I issued, under date of March 4, 1919, the following instructions to the Director of the Census: Conforming to the assurances given the President in my letter to him of March 3, you will please be guided by the following instructions respecting appointments to the post of supervisor in connection with the taking of the Fourteenth Census of the United States: A test examination, of which a record will be kept, is to be required for appoint ment to the post of supervisor. In addition to this, a careful personal inquiry is to be separately made respecting the qualifications of each candidate. Of this inquiry, also, a record will be kept. In making appointments from those who shall have passed the test examination and the separate inquiry as to qualifications, preference is to be given to those candi dates who have had executive, administrative, statistical, or accounting experience and to those who have had charge of bodies of men as administrators, provided in all cases that men with the experience stated possess the other qualifications necessary. You will arrange to give notice to the above effect to every candidate applying for appointment and to his sponsors, and no candidates are to be selected for appointment who do not pass both the test examination and the personal inquiry. You arc requested to ask the Civil Service Commission to prepare the blanks for tlie test examination or to cooperate with you in the preparation of them. You will welcome the assistance of the Civil Service Commission in this and in any other respect in which they can be helpful to you. It is my earnest desire, as I know' it is your own, that this census shall be an example in its quality, as well as in its promptness. I need hardly say that neither result can be had unless the supervisors are selected with special care to their individual fitness for their task. I am depending on you as the responsible officer in immediate charge of the work to see that every precaution is taken to achieve this result. In particular, the appearance as well as the fact of political patronage are to be avoided, and fitness for the work to be done will be the controlling factor in the appointments. Under date of March 17, 1919, the bureau issued a press notice announcing the date of the coming census, the approximate number of supervisors to be appointed, and the method of their appointment, and quoting the above instructions. Approximately 5,500 persons were supplied, upon request, with application blanks for the position of supervisor, similar to the forms used by the Civil Service Commission for “ nonassembled ” examinations; and about 2,200 of these applications were filled out and returned to the bureau. A suitable scheme of rating was devised, the papers were graded, selections were made, and a list of candi- REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. I + I dates recommended to me for appointment; and during August the appointments were made and announced through the public press. The following letter, which I addressed to the Director of the Census under date of July 12, 1919, in regard to political activity on the part of supervisors and enumerators, has been embodied in the instructions to these classes of census employees: The taking of the Fourteenth Census involves the appointment of some four hundred supervisors, upon whom in turn will rest the serious duty of selecting and appointing many times that number of enumerators. The success of the census will depend upon the efficiency, impartiality, and the strict attention to duty of the supervisors and upon the intelligence of the enumerators and their faithful devotion to the important public business which is to be placed in their hands. The vast country-wide system thus created can be perverted to political uses if both supervisors and enumerators are not forbidden to use it as an instrument for influencing either local or general elections, or primaries, in the interest of particular candidates or parties. The work of the census itself is a sufficient task to tax the powers of those concerned in it, and it is a reasonable requirement that whoever accepts an appointment as supervisor or enumerator shall, during the term of his employment as such, strictly avoid any active part in politics. Attention is therefore directed to the following order of the President of the United States, dated August 16, 1909: “ I therefore order that, in the preparation of regulations for the taking of the census, you and the Director of the Census embody therein a provision that any supervisor or enumerator who uses his influence with his subordinates or colleagues to assist any party or any candidate in a primary or general election, or who takes part, other than merely casting his vote, in politics, National, State, or local, cither by service upon a political committee, by public addresses, by the solicitation of votes, or otherwise, shall be at once dismissed from the service. " I wish to make this regulation as broad ¡is possible, and wish it enforced without exception. It is of the highest importance that the census should be taken by men having only the single purpose of reaching a just and right result, and that the large amount of money to be expended in the employment of so vast a machine as the cen sus shall not be made to serve the political purposes of any one.” The above order, applicable to the census of 1910, is now confirmed and made appli cable to the work of the census of 1920. It is an essential factor in the appointment of every supervisor and enumerator and is to be obeyed by those officers in letter and in spirit. Departure from it will be considered as warrant for dismissal from the service, as therein stated. The enumerators will be selected by the supervisors, with the approval of the Director of the Census. Each candidate will be required to undergo a practical test. Office Force. It is estimated that the total office force of the Fourteenth Census will reach at its maximum about 4,000, as against 3,738 at the last census. The estimated increase is proportionally smaller than the increase in the work to be done, but it is expected that 142 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. certain changes in organization, improvements in methods, and developments in tabulating machinery will make possible some increase in the average amount accomplished per employee. Of the 4,000 officials and employees who will compose the census force when at its maximum, between 3,000 and 3,500 will be tem porary clerks. Most of these clerks will be appointed as the result of special examinations to be conducted by the Civil Service Commission this fall throughout the United States; and the remainder will be secured (1) by selection from the reemployment registers of the Civil Service Commission established under au thority of the Executive order of November 29, 1918, as amended April 30, 1919; (2) by selection from the registers maintained by the commission for the departmental service generally; and (3) by transfer, reinstatement, etc., under the civil-service rules. The office force on August 31, 1919, comprised 23 officials, 717 clerical employees, 39 subclerical employees, 30 mechanicallaboratory employees, and 42 special agents for general field work, etc., a total of 851. In addition, there were employed throughout the cotton belt 694 local special agents to collect statistics of cotton and cotton seed. These agents perform their work only at intervals and are paid on a piece-price basis. Preparation of Schedules, Etc. The various schedules, instructions, and other fonns to be used at the coming census have been prepared, and most of the popu lation and agricultural schedules have been distributed to the supervisors. In connection with the preparation of the agri cultural schedule, the division of agriculture held numerous conferences with representatives of the various governmental departments interested in agricultural statistics, as well as with professors in agricultural colleges, and representatives of agricul tural periodicals and of farmers’ associations. As a result, a general farm schedule was formulated which has been very widely indorsed and has received the unqualified approval of the joint advisory committee of the American Statistical and Economic Associations Encumbrances on Homes and Farms. Section 8 of the Fourteenth Census act contains a provision, inserted by the Senate, for ascertaining the amount of encum brances on mortgaged homes occupied by their owners, of which in 1920 there may be approximately 4,000,000. In order to obtain a part of the information required— that relating to the market value of the home, the amount of encumbrance, and the REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 143 annual rate of interest— it will be necessary to use a special schedule. It is estimated that the additional cost of collecting and compiling this information will be at least $i ,ooo,ooo. Outlying Possessions. The Fourteenth Census act provides for censuses of Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico, to be taken by the Bureau of the Census, and also for censuses of Guam, Samoa, and the Panama Canal Zone, to be taken by the respective governors of those possessions in accordance with plans prescribed or approved by the Director of the Census. In taking the census of Alaska the Bureau of the Census will cooperate with the Bureau of Education. The work will be done under the direction of William T. Lopp, in charge of the Alaskan division of the Bureau of Education. Arrangements are being made, through the War and Navy Departments and the Panama Canal officials, with the Governors of Porto Rico, Guam, Samoa, and the Canal Zone, for taking the censuses of those possessions. Mechanical Equipment. Work in mechanical laboratory.— The object of the mechanical laboratory, to have produced or to have on hand at the close of the fiscal year 1919 all parts entering into the construction of certain tabulating machinery for the work of the Fourteenth Census, has been practically attained. Five automatic tabulating machines have been completed and tested, of which four are in actual use; and the remainder of the equipment of tabulating and sorting machines will be completed on or before February 1, 1920. The original estimates pertaining to the card-sorting machines took into consideration merely the work of overhauling. It was later found expedient to introduce some radical changes in design and method of operation, and the result has been the production of a practically new and much more efficient machine. Integrating counter.— In my last two reports I have referred to the progress of the development of an “ integrating counter’’— that is, a counter which will record and add numbers instead of mere units, thus performing automatically the work done by the operator of an adding machine— for use in tabulating certain classes of census data. The numbers will be indicated on cards by punch marks, the cards will be fed into the machine, and the numbers will be automatically totalized. Several sets of figures 144 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. can be totalized at the same time. The principal advantage to be derived from the use of the integrating counter lies in the facility with wliich the data may be regrouped or rearranged. Work on the integrating counter, which began on July 6, 1917, is still in progress. The first model has been completed as an experimental machine, and it has added and recorded numbers as indicated on punched cards at the rate of from 20,000 to 25,000 cards a day. A complete set of drawings and all patterns neces sary for manufacturing this type of machine have been made. A tentative card system for tabulating part of the manufac tures census has been developed and will be tested. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. (Dr. H ugh M. S mith , Com m issioner.) General Considerations. While the work of the Bureau of Fisheries has been resumed along normal lines, following several years of special adapta tion to war requirements, changed economic conditions resulting from war demand, and are receiving, serious attention. It is quite apparent that, owing to food shortage and the active campaigns that have been waged for the purpose of offsetting that shortage, the use of aquatic products has acquired a more prominent place. That place can be enlarged and firmly estab lished with marked benefit to the entire country. The bureau seeks to render this service. It is incumbent on Congress to authorize and support the effort. All the vessels placed at the disposal of the Navy during the war have been returned, and the use that the Navy was making of the marine biological stations at Woods Hole, Mass., and Beau fort, N. C., has been relinquished. The discrimination against this service in the matter of the attendance of technical employees of the bureau at- meetings of societies should be removed. The bureau deserves liberal, whole-hearted, unsuspicious treat ment at the hands of Congress. It is rendering a large public service in a modest, loyal, effective manner. It more than pays its own cost in each of several ways. The direct revenue accruing to the Government through the operation and administration of laws affecting the fisheries of Alaska exceeds all the appropri ations for the support of the bureau. The actual revenue returns for the operations of the calendar year 1918 will be found to ex ceed $2,865,000, a sum which includes the tax levied on pre served salmon, fish oil, and fish fertilizer; the net sales of furseal skins taken on the Pribilof Islands; the net value of fox skins from the same locality; the returns from other Alaskan products and enterprises coming within the purview of the Department; and fines resulting from convictions for violations of law (the amount involved in this last item being small). 140201—19----- 10 145 146 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Of even more importance is the indirect and immeasurable value of the food fish produced and planted and the food fish rescued and restored to the waters. Any attempt to represent by dollars the value of the fish-cultural work woidd be futile; but it may be noted that if the hatcheries had been commer cialized their output in the fiscal year 1919, together with the fishes salvaged from the overflowed lands of the Mississippi Val ley, would have had a market value of not less than $2,000,000. No cognizance need be taken, in this connection, of the com mercial value to individuals and industries of the biological and technical inquiries conducted by the bureau, although this is great. Planting the Waters. The comprehensive and varied operations of the Bureau of Fisheries in artificially propagating food fishes and planting them in suitable waters have reached a high degree of effectiveness. This work has had a gradual development in response to the urgent needs of the country, and meets with hearty public support because of the obvious benefits. There is demand for an extension of operations into sections not adequately covered by existing hatcheries, more particularly for the purpose of maintaining and increasing the supplies of common species like the catfishes and buffalofishes that can be produced in large quantities and are wholesome food. The output of the fish-cultural stations during the fiscal year 1919 aggregated over 5,875,000,000 fish and fish eggs, most of the latter being consigned to State hatcheries. The distribution was more extensive than ever before, exceeding the best previous record of 1917 by more than 715,000,000 and surpassing the year 1918 by 1,779,000,000. Humpback Salmon in Maine. In March, 1917, over 900,000 humpback salmon were planted in Maine waters, that had become unsuitable for the Atlantic salmon. This year the results of this introduction of a Pacific species are becoming apparent. It is reported that the fish have been seen in thousands in the Dennys and Pembroke Rivers, and the herring weirs in Passamaquoddy Bay have taken considerable numbers. The success of this experiment, for which there is every reason for the bureau to be gratified, is confirmed by the taking of nearly 400,000 eggs from humpbacks in the rivers named, which will be incubated at the hatchery at Craig Brook, Me. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 1 47 Rescue of Stranded Food Fishes. Too much stress can not be placed on the importance of the work of rescuing food fishes from the overflowed lands in the basin of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. All of the fish left behind when the freshet waters subside inevitably succumb to the drying or freezing of the pools or ponds in which they congregate unless rescue parties seine out the cut-off waters and restore the fishes to the main streams. The aggregate number of salvaged fishes in the summer and autumn of 1918 was upward of 55,800,000, comprising practically every species of food fish of the Mississippi Valley. About 600,000 of the rescued fishes were distributed by the bureau’s cars to outside waters; the remainder were deposited locally in the main river channels. These operations for the season of 1919 have been resumed on a larger scale. Although the work is still in progress, there is already a substantial increase over 1918, and the fall season may close with a record of 125,000,000 rescued food fishes. A summary to the end of September is here given: H eadquarters. Cairo, 111 .............................. Fish sal vaged. 680,583 1.033,391 233,267 24,882,420 4,830,820 H eadquarters. Fish sal vaged. a .3 4 9 .4 0 4 23,229,430 28,800, 510 T o ta l................................................. 101,039,825 The extent of this work may be better realized when it is stated that a score of hatcheries would be unable to produce fishes in number and size equal to those rescued. Nothing affecting the welfare of the fisheries of the Mississippi basin is of greater importance than the prevention of the losses that occur under natural conditions. Loss of a Pacific Salmon Hatchery. Among other items in the deficiency bill as reported to the House of Representatives September 11, 1919, is one providing $50,000 for the reconstruction of the fish hatchery and other buildings at Baker Lake, Wash., which, with the exception of the bunk house and barn, wTere completely destroyed by fire on July 24, 1919. The disaster occurred at a most unfortunate time, as the season was but half over and the prospects for a large output were the brightest 148 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. in years. Immediate steps were taken to prevent the failure of the work in progress, and as soon as the appropriation becomes avail able the reestablishment of the station in accordance with the most modern practice will be pushed to the utmost. Relations with the States in Fish-Cultural Work. The fish-cultural operations of the bureau bring it into close re lation with the various States, some of which are engaged in similar work, while others depend wholly on the Federal Government for the stocking of their waters with food fishes. In several States field stations are jointly operated by bureau and State employees, the eggs being incubated at the hatcheries most conveniently located or from which the resulting fish can be most advanta geously distributed. During the fiscal year 1919, upward of 670,000,000 eggs of fresh water and anadromous fishes were donated to 24 States for hatch ing and distribution under their own auspices. The shad hatchery at the mouth of the Susquehanna River, Md., has remained closed because of the continued failure of the State legislature to take action in harmony with the stipulations of Con gress. The equipment of this station has been distributed among various other hatcheries. Biological Investigation of Fishes. Many of the vital problems connected with fisheries and aqui culture require for their elucidation the application of scientific methods of investigation, and questions are constantly arising which require the services of trained biologists. The branch of the bureau that gives particular attention to these matters has during the past year conducted a number of investigations addressed to definite needs. Among the fishes that have been the subject of special inquiry is the paddlefish of the Mississippi Valley, one of the important food fishes of our interior waters, now in danger of commercial extinction because of the intensity of the fishery conducted chiefly for its eggs, which are made into caviar. Up to the present time no efforts to hatch the paddlefish artificially have been successful, and there has also been lack of definite information regarding the natural spawning of the fish. In cooperation with the depart ment of conservation of the State of Louisiana, there was under taken during the past year a special study of the breeding habits of the paddlefish, and groundwork has been laid for further inquiry which it is hoped may save this valuable fish. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 149 There have been instituted various investigations of the Pacific salmons. A special inquiry was directed to the very extensive practice of taking immature salmon by trolling and seining off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. The con clusion was reached that any method of fishing which destroys immature salmon is so destructive and wasteful that it should be discontinued. The Department has communicated the results of the inquiry to the interested States and has indicated its readiness to assist them in determining the best means of meeting this menace to the salmon industry. Shellfish Investigations. Important scientific investigations have been devoted to oysters, mussels, and other shellfish. A study of great practical significance has been conducted in Dong Island Sound, the scene of very extensive oyster-cultural operations, that have become seriously impaired by failure of the spat to set. In some sections more than half the grounds have ceased to be cultivated because of the small yield of oysters thereon, and for the past two years the set of spat has been entirely negligible. A temporary field laboratory has been maintained at Milford, Conn., and inquiries indicate that the wholesale death of spat in the shore waters may be attributable to pollution in the form of sewage and trade wastes. It has therefore been found desirable, in cooperation with the water laboratory of the Bureau of Chemistry, to make special studies of the nature and effects of the various pollutants. Further investigations pertaining to the propagation, feeding, and growth of oysters have been conducted in Great South Bay, Long Island; Narragansett Bay, R. I.; Barnegat Bay, N. J.; all in cooperation with the State authorities. In extensive oyster beds in the York River, Va., a serious affection has for several years rendered the oysters unmarketable. The malady consists of a green discoloration associated with a watery and lean con dition of the meat. No cause or remedy has yet been found, but the investigation is still in progress and will be continued until definite conclusions are possible. The sea mussel continues to be one of the great unutilized aquatic resources of the north Atlantic coast. While the food value of this mollusk is well recognized, there has been curious delay in its general adoption into the dietary, even in the regions where it abounds and is best known. In continuance of its task of popularizing this valuable food article, the bureau has con 150 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. ducted a survey of the mussel beds of Maine, southern New England, and Long Island Sound, with a view to demonstrating the avail ability and abundance of mussels for use in a fresh condition and for preserving. Between Portland and Eastport, Me., in six sections where the most important grounds are located, the survey showed upward of 1,200 acres of natural mussel beds, estimated to contain over 1,275,000 bushels. The best beds yield from 2,500 to 5,000 bushels to the acre. Leading packing houses on the north Atlantic coast are giving special attention to the canning of mussels, and there is reason to believe that the development of the mussel industry will not be long delayed and will add materially to the wealth and food supply of the country. The practical operations in the artificial propagation of fresh water pearly mussels, conducted at various points in the Missis sippi Basin, resulted in the inoculation of 137,000,000 glochidia on suitable fish hosts. The output was less than in the previous year, owing chiefly to disturbed labor conditions. Investigations and experiments in the field of fresh-water mussels have continued to yield valuable results bearing on artificial propagation. Among the crustacean shellfishes, the spiny lobsters of Cali fornia and of Florida have been the subjects of studies addressed to their habits and growth. Upon the basis of the information furnished by the bureau to the State authorities of Florida, more effective protection has been provided by the legislature. Com prehensive reports on the life history of the blue crab and on the blue-crab fishery have been issued and are expected to be useful to State officials concerned with the protection of the crab and the maintenance of the fishery. It may be noted with gratifica tion that an increased catch of blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay has recently been had; and it is conceded that this has been due to the adoption of wise measures of conservation based on the bureau’s investigations and recommendations. Use of Fishes in Controlling Mosquitoes. A novel and highly important extension of the scientific activi ties of the bureau has been the eradication of mosquitoes and the prevention of malaria in the vicinity of Army cantonments in cooperation with the Public Health Service. The duty devolving on the bureau in this cooperative work was the propagation of mosquito-eating fishes, their distribution in waters infested with mosquito larvae, and the maintenance, in bodies of water that could REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 151 not be drained, of conditions that promoted the effectiveness of small fishes in the control of mosquitoes. The most extensive operations were conducted in the vicinity of Camp Hancock and the city of Augusts, Ga., and the success there attained was so marked as to constitute a distinct advance in antimalarial work. The Surgeon General of the Public Health Service has expressed his appreciation of the assistance rendered, and has authorized the publication of a report setting forth the methods followed and the results achieved by the bureau in the extra-cantonment zone at Camp Hancock. Increased Utilization of Aquatic Products. The Bureau of Fisheries has continued to render a large and important service to the fishing industry, the fish trade, and the public generally through its efforts to popularize neglected fishes and find uses and markets for wasted water resources. The work has consisted of practical demonstrations, technical investigations and appropriate publicity, and has been made possible chiefly by the allotment by the President of funds placed at his disposal for the national security and defense. Undertaken primarily during the war to increase the supplies of food and permit the exportation of meats to Europe, this campaign has, of course, equal value as a means of reducing living costs and of giving aquatic foods a larger permanent place in the national dietary. Appeal has been made to Congress for adequate funds for carry ing on this work, and meanwhile it has been necessary to greatly curtail all activities and to abandon some that were rendering important benefits to large numbers of people. Attention is asked to Appendix B, relating to this subject. New Sources of Aquatic Leather. Material progress has been made in finding and utilizing new sources of leather from the skins of aquatic animals. The feasi bility of producing commercial leather from such animals has been amply demonstrated, and the actual business has passed beyond the experimental stage, although work remains to be done in perfecting methods and in making generally known to the manu facturers of leather goods the availability and merits of the new products. Many samples of aquatic leathers and of various articles made therefrom have been submitted to the bureau by private firms and have been favorably criticized by disinterested persons. 152 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. Among the manufactured objects made from fishskins that have come to the attention of the Department are traveling bags, brief cases, pocketbooks, belts, shoes, and ladies’ hand bags. It is reported that the demand for shark leather for traveling bags is now greater than the supply, and plans on a very extensive scale are being executed for increasing and maintaining the output of shark hides by the establishment of special shark fisheries on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts. Excellent leather for shoes is also being derived from sharks. The duty imposed on the Department by Congress in June, 1917, when there was made available the sum of $10,000 “ for develop ing by the Bureau of Fisheries, in cooperation with the Bureau of Standards, new aquatic sources of supply of leather” may be regarded as having been accomplished, and private enterprise will now undoubtedly do what may be necessary to develop and give permanancy to the industry. Alaska Fisheries Service. The usual duties involved in the administration of the Alaskan fisheries have been performed. The corps of agents and wardens was supplemented by a stream-watchman patrol inaugurated in the season of 1918, consisting of 10 men engaged for the active fishing season. In addition to the enforcement of the laws and regulations governing fishing, the inspection of private salmon hatcheries and the taking of the census of red salmon entering Wood River, special investigations of a scientific and practical nature were made; work was done in opening up salmon streams for spawning; public hearings were held at Seattle concerning commercial fishery operations and conditions in the Copper and Yukon Rivers and all streams of southeastern Alaska; and de tailed statistics of the fishery industry were compiled. The returns for 1918 show a larger production than that of 1917, which far exceeded previous records. The number of persons em ployed in all branches of the industry was 31,213, an increase of 1,722 over 1917; the capital invested was $73,750,789, an increase of $18,813,240; and the value of products marketed was $59,154,859, an increase of $7,677,879. The increased value of products was chiefly owing to the larger pack of canned salmon in 1918 resulting from the strenuous effort to meet the food shortage. The canned-salmon industry surpassed all records, the pack reach ing the grand total of 6,605,835 cases of forty-eight i-pound cans, valued at $51,041,949. Of this, approximately three-eighths of REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 1 53 the quantity and nearly one-half of the value represented red salmon. The salmon sold in a fresh, frozen, salted, and smoked condition brought the total value of the salmon to $53,514,812. Thus 50 years after the acquisition of Alaska, the salmon output alone was worth seven and one-half times the purchase price. The Alaska fisheries service merits liberal appropriations from Congress. The corps available for enforcing the laws and regula tions and for carrying out other obligations arising out of admin istrative responsibility is still inadequate. The vast extent of the salmon industry and the heavy drains that are being made on the supply necessitate an enlarged personnel for maintaining and extending the patrol, for making special investigations, and for conducting various lines of constructive work in the interest of the industry. Several large hatcheries should be established in regions of most extensive fisheries, such as Karluk and Nushagak. The following is a summary of results of efforts of the Bureau of Fisheries to introduce the Scotch method of curing herring in Alaska during 1917 and 1918. The figures for 1919 are not yet available. Total cost of work, about....................................................................................... $12, 000 Pack, as follows: 1917, 7,622 barrels (1,905,000 pounds)......................................................... 114, 350 1918, 38,977 barrels (9,744,250 pounds)........................................................ 748, 606 Total value.................................................................................................... 862,936 Alaska Fur-Seal Service. The calendar year 1918 was the first after the expiration of the law imposing a close time on the commercial killing of seals on the Pribilof Islands. The quota of skins that might be secured was fixed at 35,000 and the number actually taken was 34,883, all but 1,002 of which were procured by August 10, when operations have usually ceased because of the beginning of the stagy season. For the season 1919 the quota was tentatively fixed at 35,000, and the number of skins actually secured to August 10 was 25,381. The conditions of the herd warranted the taking of a considerably larger number of skins, but the scarcity of experienced men, com bined with the increased labor involved in removing and han dling the skins of the larger seals, to which special attention was given, reduced the season’s output. The epidemic of influenza which ravaged Alaska necessitated the establishment of a quaran tine to protect the susceptible natives of the seal islands, and it 154 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. became impossible to carry out the plans for obtaining additional labor. In an effort to improve transportation facilities on the seal islands three tractors and a number of wagons for trailers have been sent this year. This equipment will not only be of the greatest value in transporting sealskins from the killing grounds to the salt houses, but will furnish the means of hauling carcasses from the killing grounds to the newly established by-products plant. 'I'he tractors will also be very useful in constructing roads. With a special appropriation made by Congress, there has been purchased a power lighter for use at the Pribilof Islands and be tween the islands and Unalaska, the nearest commercial port, 250 miles distant. This vessel will be equipped with wireless appara tus, and a rapid-fire gun for use in any emergency that involves the protection of the seal herd. Most of the supplies required for the Pribilof Islands and the products derived therefrom were transported on the steamer Roosevelt, which made three voyages between Seattle and the islands during the year. On the final voyage the vessel did not leave the islands until December 12, which appears to be the latest recorded date for any vessel in that part of Bering Sea. Certain supplies and products were carried by the Coast Guard cutter Bear and the naval radio tender Saturn. The lighthouse tender Cedar of this Department transported heavy pieces of ma chinery for the by-products plant. The very trying service required of the steamer Roosevelt during the years actively engaged in the Alaska work, combined with the heavy duty that the vessel had performed in her memorable Arctic career, developed defects the repair of which would have necessitated a large outlay out of proportion to her total value. She was, therefore, sold at public auction in Seattle on July 15, 1919, for the sum of $28,000. A very comprehensive account of the fur-seal service in 1918 is contained in a special report on Alaska fisheries and fur indus tries published by the Bureau of Fisheries. The native wards of the Government and their physical, mental, and financial condition are discussed at length. There is need for an enlarged administrative personnel on the Pribilof Islands, including a superintendent and a biologist. With the acquisition of a vessel for interisland service, the islands need not hereafter be managed as distinct entities, but should be REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 155 affiliated under one coordinating head. Vital scientific and technical problems are involved in the management of the rapidly increasing seal herd, and the creation of the position of biologist is demanded. Alaskan Seal Herd. The fur seals resorting to the Pribilof Islands are continuing to increase under the bénéficient protection afforded by the international agreement prohibiting pelagic sealing. The only untoward feature has been the accumulation of older male seals far beyond the requirements for breeding purposes during the 5-year close time. Fortunately, the bureau has found a means of utilizing to the pecuniary advantage of the Government the skins of surplus bulls, and the gradual elimination of dispropor tionate elements is proceeding. The seal census of 1918 gave 496,611 animals of all ages as composing the herd on August 10, after the close of the regular killing season. The corresponding census for 1919, the results of which have been communicated by telegraph and are subject to slight revision, showed 524,260 seals in the herd as of August 10, in addition to the 26,383 seals that had been taken for their skins subsequent to the previous enumeration. The numerical strength of the herd increased about x1 per cent from 1918 to 1919. The detailed figures for 1919 are as follows: Breeding females, 157,172; new-born pups, 157,172; yearlings of both sexes, 92,891; 2-year-olds of both sexes, 66,352; males 3 years old, 13,576; males 4, 5, and 6 years old, 20,080; harem bulls, 5,158; idle and surplus bulls, 11,859; average harem, 30.47. Marketing Products of the Seal Islands. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, there were two sales of sealskins held October 7, 1918, and April 28, 1919. Fox skins were also sold at the October 7, 1918, sale. The sealskins numbered 12,002, and were dressed, dyed, and machined before being offered for sale at public auction in St. Louis, Mo. The gross proceeds were $777,931; the expenses, including cost of preparation of skins, transportation, agents’ commission, discount for cash, etc., aggregated $233,195.52; the net proceeds were thus $544,735.78. The fox skins sold at public auction in St. Louis numbered 692 blue and 19 white pelts. The gross receipts were $58,179.50, the expenses were $6,280.86, and the net proceeds were $51,898.54. 156 REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. On September 10, 1919, there were sold at St. Louis by Messrs. Funsten Bros. & Co., agents of the Department of Commerce, 9,055 dressed, dyed, and machined fur-seal skins and 665 blue and 30 white-fox skins. ' The total gross price realized was approximately $960,000. The sealskins averaged $91.35, an advance of 30 per cent over the prices realized last April. The blue foxes averaged $195.90, an advance of 135 per cent over prices realized last October, when the last sale of Government blue foxes occurred. The market was strong, bidding was spirited throughout, and there was a very large attendance of buyers. The results of this sale are highly gratifying. A noteworthy development of the fur-seal industry during the year has been the demonstration of the high value of the skins of old male seals usually designated as “ wigs” and the creation of an active demand for such skins. A t the public auction sale in October, 1918, the best prices received for any sealskins were for “ wigs,” an experimental lot of which brought $75 each. A t the sale in April, 1919, a considerable number of “ wigs” were offered for sale in a dressed and dyed condition; these sold for $77 to $88 each, while the average price for all skins was $66. It should be noted that formerly “ wigs” in the raw state were regarded as having little or no value in the London market. The seal-island natives continue to collect old seal bones at times when they have no other work. They are encouraged to do this, and are paid for their labor. In 1919 about 300,000 pounds of bones were gathered, sacked, delivered on board Government vessels, and landed in Seattle and San Francisco. The net proceeds amounted to $3,891.03. It is estimated that, when the entire take of sealskins for the calendar year 19x8 shall have been dressed, dyed, machined, and sold, the net revenue to the Government, based upon the proceeds obtained at the sale of September 10, 1919, will be in excess of $2,450,000. To this should be added an approximate net revenue of $123,000 for the sale of fox skins. It is safe to say that, when the proceeds of the sales of bones, oil, and other by-products are taken into account, the net revenue for the products of the calendar year 1918 will reach a sum in excess of $2,600,000. This would more than pay all expenses of every nature connected with the administration of the Pribilof Islands, the Alaskan salmon fisheries, and the care of the minor fur bearing animals of Alaska for a period of 12 years. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 157 The accumulated experience of the Department under the contract with Funsten Bros. & Co., of St. Louis, Mo., for dressing, dyeing, machining, and selling fur-seal skins and for selling fox skins from the Pribilof Islands has proved very beneficial to the Government. The contractors have rendered highly satisfactory service in every feature. They have not only scrupulously observed every (xpressed and implied obligation of their contract, but they have willingly assumed other responsibilities and duties which, while meaning nothing to them in a pecuniary way, have meant much to the Government. The service rendered has been of a high order; the quality of the finished products has been superior to the best obtainable elsewhere; the methods of con ducting the public auction sales have deserved and received the approbation of the entire fur trade; and the financial interests of the Government have been constantly safeguarded. The Gov ernment-owned furs have been in active demand and have brought the highest prices in the history of the fur business. As a result of the profit to the Government under the contract, the latter has been extended so as to expire on December 15, 1926. Minor Fur-Bearing Animals of Alaska. The minor fur-bearing animals of Alaska have received the usual attention, with assistance from special wardens whose services have been available through a reciprocal arrangement with the Governor of Alaska. There have been a number of prosecutions for violations of the regulations, and seizures of furs have been made from time to time. The furs thus confiscated have been sold at public auction and the proceeds covered into the Treasury of the United States. There have been two modifications of the regulations: The use of dogs for pursuing and killing fur-bearing animals for which close seasons exist has been prohibited, and the open season on foxes in the region drained by streams flowing into the Arctic Ocean north of the sixty-eighth parallel of north latitude has been extended 30 days, or until April 15. Fur-farming operations have been continued at a number of places along the coast and in the Yukon region, and some successful results have been reported. Through the cooperation of postmasters, collectors of customs, shippers, and others, the usual compilations of statistics of furs shipped from Alaska have been made possible. The value of furs for the year ending November 15, 1918, was $1,363,330, as com pared with $1,064,249 for the previous year, due largely to the 158 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. advance in the price of furs. With the exception of lynx, there was also an increase in the number of pelts of the more important species of fur-bearing animals shipped from Alaska. The more notable increases were of ermine, foxes, mink, muskrat, land otter, wolves, and wolverines. Fishery Legislation Needed. The most urgent requirement in connection with the fisheries of Alaska is for a new code covering the salmon fisheries to replace the existing obsolete and inadequate laws. Proper administra tion, efficient regulation, rational conservation, and fair revenue to the Government can not be secured unless the salmon laws are revised to meet present conditions. Legislation is desired also to lodge the administration of the minor fur-bearing animals of Alaska elsewhere than in the Bureau of Fisheries, an agency whose legitimate functions are entirely irrelevant to land mammals. There is urgent need also for amendment of the law of June 14, 1906, prohibiting aliens from engaging in the fisheries of Alaska. The defects in the present law result in the violation of the spirit of the law and permit the actual exploitation of the fishery re sources of Alaska by alien fishermen operating independently and having no regard for laws or regulations designed to perpetuate the industry. The prevention of waste in the Alaskan halibut fishery and protection to the halibut grounds should be promptly brought about by legislation in accordance with the recommendation of the American-Canadian Fisheries Conference. Legislation to be effective should be uniform in the United States and Canada. BUREAU OF LIGHTHOUSES. (G eo rge R. P u tnam , C o m m is s io n e r .) Cooperation with Navy and War Departments. The lighthouse vessels and stations operated under the j unsdiction of the Navy Department during the war were returned to the Lighthouse Service July i, 1919. The Lighthouse Service, in addition to the work done by the tenders directly under the orders of the War and Navy Depart ments, during the war provided facilities at various depots for the berthing of naval vessels, and at the general lighthouse depot at Tompkinsville, N. Y ., provided special coaling facilities and quarters for naval detachments. Additional buoys were placed, and other changes in aids to navigation were made, as required. Repairs to naval patrol boats were made at various points, and various buoys, moorings, and other appurtenances were trans ferred to or purchased for the Navy and War Departments. The Lighthouse Service also cooperated with the Navy Depart ment and Treasury Department in connection with improve ments in coast-communication facilities by telephone and radio and in the transmission of reports received from light stations and considered of possible military value. Because the tenders of the Lighthouse Service are particu larly well equipped for handling buoys, moorings, etc., and their officers are thoroughly familiar with the coast line and waters of the United States, these vessels were effectively used by the War Department in mine-planting operations and by the Navy Department in laying submarine-defense nets, etc., during the war and later in removing these defenses. Aids to Navigation. In addition to this cooperation with the military service, the regular work of the Service in maintaining and improving aids to navigation was actively carried on during the year. During the fiscal year three important light and fog-signal stations were established from special appropriations— namely, at Lorain Harbor, Ohio, at the end of the west breakwater, to mark the entrance to the harbor; at Sand Hills, Mich., to mark a dangerous l6 o REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. locality on the south shore of Lake Superior; and at Lime Kiln, San Juan Island, Wash., to mark an important point on the route from Puget Sound to British Columbia and Alaska. Three unwatched acetylene lights were established in the Caribbean Sea to mark the traffic lane between the Gulf coast of the United States and the Panama Canal through Yucatan Passage. This important maritime track lies between low coral reefs and islands in the northwestern part of the Caribbean Sea. The work was done in cooperation with the Navy Department, which furnished a gunboat to transport the working party and materials. An unwatched acetylene light was established at Dog Island, Me. During the year 36 new aids were established in Alaska, includ ing 19 light stations, 1 gas and bell buoy, and 16 other aids. The total number of aids to navigation in Alaska at the end of the fiscal year was 475, being a net increase of 36 over that of the preceding fiscal year, and the total number of lights was 180. The appropriation by the sundry civil act approved July 19, 1919, of $75,000 for aids to navigation in Alaska has permitted active steps toward further safeguarding those dangerous waters. The work to be done was already listed, ready, when the money became available and instructions to proceed were given by tele graph in order to accomplish as much as possible during the present season. A total of 736 new aids to navigation were established during the year, including 178 fixed lights, 6 float lights, x light vessel, 73 gas buoys, and 469 other aids, the total number in commis sion on June 30, 1919, being 16,075, a net increase of 400 over the preceding fiscal year. Considerable work was done during the fiscal year in repairing damage to aids to navigation caused by ice floes during the winter of 1917-18, especially to screw-pile structures in Chesa peake Bay and Potomac River. Much was also done in repairing hurricane damage to aids in the Gulf of Mexico, reconstructing stations, so far as practicable, in a manner calculated to better withstand future destruction. Various special works were actively in progress during the year, including the establishment of important new fight and fog-signal stations and lighthouse depots, improvements in systems of fixed aids and buoyage, etc. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. l6 l Improvement in illuminating and fog-signal apparatus of exist ing aids was continued. Fixed lights were replaced by flashing or occulting lights at 20 stations, including two light vessels; incandescent oil-vapor lights were substituted for oil-wick lamps at 4 stations; and acetylene or electric incandescent illuminant was substituted at 36 stations, including 5 light vessels and 2 buoys. The fog-signal apparatus at 7 important stations was improved by the substitution of air diaphones for less efficient apparatus. General repairs required to maintain aids to navigation in efficient condition were continued, but insufficiency of funds prevented this work being done to the proper extent. Damage to lighthouse property, estimated at $13,500, was sus tained on December 8, 1918, by a fire at Execution Rocks Light Station, N. Y. The fog-signal engine and machinery, also the tower, oil house, and dwelling, were damaged. On March n , 1919, a gas buoy burst while being tested at a lighthouse depot by means of hydrostatic pressure, injuring two employees, one of whom died later as a result of injuries received. The accident was carefully investigated and steps taken to insure the observance of precautions. An earthquake and tidal wave of considerable intensity occurred in Porto Rico- and vicinity on October 11, 1918. Lighthouse property was not seriously damaged, except at Point Borinquen and Point Jiguero Light Stations. The mild winter of 1918-19 presented a great contrast to the severe weather of the preceding winter, and permitted the re moval of buoys from their stations for the winter without loss or trouble, and in some cases buoys usually removed for the winter were kept on station throughout the year. This rarely happens in north Atlantic waters. Vessels. There is a very urgent need for the construction of additional vessels for the Lighthouse Service, to replace those worn out in service, those lost through various casualties, and to meet the ■ considerable growth of the Service in recent years. A full state ment of this situation is given in Appendix A to this report. Relief Light Vessel No. 51, stationed on Cornfield Point light vessel station, Conn., was collided with and sunk by a barge barge in tow of a Standard Oil tug on April 24, 1919. The light ship went down in eight minutes after being struck. Good judg ment and discipline on the light vessel were shown in the emer140261—19------ 11 I 62 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. gency. No injury was sustained by the crew. The lifeboat and log and fog-signal books were the only property of the light vessel saved. This vessel was of iron, built in 1892. The owner of the tow has been called upon to indemnify the Government. Bush Bluff Light Vessel No. 97, was surveyed and condemned for sale, being in such a poor condition as not to warrant repairs. Bush Bluff Station is now marked by a gas and bell buoy, the bell being operated by carbonic-acid gas, a test installation of this apparatus. The tender Cedar performed urgent special duty in connection with the influenza epidemic last fall. Physicians and nurses in charge of a medical officer of the United States Public Health Service were carried to isolated localities in southeastern Alaska, principally native Indian villages. Lighthouse Depots. Construction of the lighthouse depot for the sixteenth district, at Ketchikan, Alaska, for which an appropriation of $90,000 was made by act of July i, 1918, was actively carried on during the year. On June 30, 1919, the wharf was about 95 per cent com pleted, and the entire work, including storehouse, shops, etc., about 35 per cent completed. Important improvements are in progress at the general light house depot, Tompkinsville, N. Y. The act of March 28, 1918, appropriated $60,000 for repairs to the wharves. This work includes the removal of the old wooden wharf decks and con struction of concrete decks with cast-iron pile columns and other improved features. In order to permit use of the wharves while improvements are in progress, the work is being done in three ¡sections. The first section, the south wharf, was completed in February, 1919. It is expected that the second section will be completed about September, 1919. In August, 1918, you allotted from your fund for national security and defense $175,000 for improvement of coaling facilities at this depot, with particular reference to cooperation work with the Navy. This work is in progress, and it is expected will be completed about February, 1920. The act of July 19, 1919, appropriated $30,000 for extending and enlarging the machine shop at this depot, and plans are being prepared. The act of June 12, 1917, appropriated $21,000 for improving the office and laboratory at this depot. This work has been REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 163 completed, except the installation of a heating system and other work of minor importance. The act of July 1, 1918, appropriated $85,000 for the construc tion of a depot for the second lighthouse district. A portion of the old marine-hospital property in Chelsea has been transferred as a site for this depot. The work is in progress, but the amount available is quite insufficient for the complete construction. The act of June 20, 1918, authorized $275,000 for improvements at the lighthouse depot at Portsmouth, Va., or establishing a new depot, but no appropriation has been made for this work. This is the principal depot of one of the largest lighthouse districts and is the headquarters for five tenders and two light vessels. The facilities for berthing these vessels is entirely inadequate, and the efficient operation of the vessels is much hampered in consequence. The inadequacy of space for storing and handling buoys also causes delay and loss. A new depot for the seventh lighthouse district, at Key West, Fla., is urgently needed for the efficient and economical handling of the work of the district. The present depot is located on property belonging to the Treasury Department, with naval coal sheds and piers on either side. The space allotted the Lighthouse Service for buoys and appendages is entirely inadequate. The depot consists of a wooden storehouse built on a wooden pier. There is no oil house at this depot, due to lack of space, and kerosene, gasoline, and other inflammable supplies have to be kept in the storehouse, constituting a constant menace of fire. Suitable depot facilities at Honolulu for the nineteenth light house district are also much needed, and an estimate has been submitted for this purpose. Improvement of Apparatus and Equipment. Radio equipment was installed on 28 light vessels and on 12 tenders during the fiscal year. At the end of the fiscal year 41 light vessels and 23 tenders had been equipped with radio installations. The installation of telephones at light stations was continued during the year. This work was done by the United States Coast Guard under an appropriation to develop coastal commu nications, including connections with important light stations. On June 30, 1919, there were 139 light stations so connected. Experiments and tests ■ with various devices and equipment used in lighthouse work have resulted in developing improvements 164 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. in the interests of efficiency and economy. Among these may be mentioned improvements in diaphone installations, resulting in simplicity of operation, reduced space required for machinery, and lowered initial cost. A new type of metal buoy was developed for use in defining shoal-water channels, being an improvement over wooden spar buoys, which are less conspicuous and more expensive to maintain. The stability of the type L gas and bell buoy moored in the exposed waters of Alaska was improved. On account of immunity from submarine boring insects the use of palmetto piles has been extended in southern waters. An improved device for fastening moorings to buoys in the upper Mississippi River was tested and proved satisfactory. Investigation of the use of radio for fog-signal purposes was interrupted by war activities, but is now resumed. Personnel. On June 30, 1919, there were 5,964 persons employed in the Lighthouse Service, including 125 technical, 156 clerical, and 5,683 employees connected with light stations, vessels, and depots. This Service is charged with the maintenance of aids to naviga tion along 47,300 statute miles of coast line and river channel. The retirement system for the field service of the Lighthouse Service was put in effect upon the appropriation by Congress of the necessary funds by act approved November 4, 1918. By the same act the retirement law was amended to the extent that the provisions of the law do not apply to persons in the field service whose duties do not require substantially all their time. The effect of the retirement system has been very advantageous, both to the Service and the personnel, and at a moderate expense. Saving of Life and Property. During the fiscal year services in saving life and property were rendered and acts of heroism performed by employees of the Lighthouse Service on 1x1 occasions. Many of these acts were considered especially meritorious, and the employees were indi vidually commended by me. Administration. The system of cost keeping for the Service was modified, reduc ing the amount of detail work required in district offices without sacrificing the essential data furnished. This modification was necessary in order that other important work might be kept up. The Department approved regulations for the distribution of lighthouse publications on a sales basis, pursuant to act of Con REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 165 gress of June 20, 1918. This was put in effect January 1, 1919. Sales agencies have been established at the principal ports. Returns of sales are made to the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., who supplies the necessary copies of the publication. The appropriations for the maintenance of the Lighthouse Service for the fiscal year 1920 are $6,625,000, being $474,570 in excess of those for the preceding fiscal year, and include $45,000 for retired pay. In addition, there are special appropriations aggregating $794,400, including $440,000 contained in the defi ciency act of November 4, 1918. The appropriations for the maintenance of the Lighthouse Service for the fiscal year 1920 were $1,054,600 less than the estimates submitted, and additional funds will be necessary for even the minimum maintenance of the Service during this fiscal year. During the last fiscal year $774,000 was transferred from Navy Department appropriations to make good deficiencies in the maintenance of the Lighthouse Service, but as the vessels and stations were transferred back on July r, 1919, funds will not be available from the similar provisions in the naval appropriation act this year. Systematic inspections have been continued in the various lighthouse districts of the technical w'ork, business methods, and property accounts. Special Legislation Needed. The act of August 29, 1916, authorizing the President to trans fer to the Navy or War Department portions of the Lighthouse Service when there is a national emergency, should be amended so as to definitely define the status of the personnel transferred. All persons so transferred who serve on vessels or at stations where they are exposed to the risks of war, should have a suitable mili tary status, and be entitled to all relief provided by legislation for those in the military services. Although the personnel trans ferred during this year were, under rulings of the Treasury Depart ment, given the benefits of the war-risk insurance, there was con siderable conflict in decisions as to their standing under the act of August 29, 1916. All of the personnel were in an indefinite and anomalous position in their relations with the military and naval personnel. Specific recommendation is deferred until conditions become more settled. In any future transfer of vessels there should, if practicable, be more definite understanding as to the 166 REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OE COMMERCE. extent to which tenders are to be diverted from their lighthouse duty. The upkeep of the system of aids to navigation requires every effort of the present equipment of tenders, and their efficient maintenance is even more important in time of war than in normal times. Legislation is recommended to cover adjustment of claims by lighthouse employees for loss or damage to personal property, such as clothing, furniture, etc., caused by storm, tidal waves, collisions, or fire at light stations, depots, and on vessels. Such provision should be made in justice to these employees engaged on hazardous duty. By act of June 17, 1910, it was provided that claims against the Government for damages not exceeding $500 arising out of collisions for which lighthouse vessels are respon sible be determined and settled by the Commissioner of Light houses. This provision has enabled the Government to adjust claims promptly and has relieved Congress of the annoyance of many petty claims; and similar legislation covering losses of per sonal property by lighthouse employees would be advantageous to the Government and result in more equal justice to employees. Legislation is also recommended providing for medical relief for lighthouse keepers without charge at other than hospitals and stations of the Public Health Service. The hospitals and stations of the Public Health Service, at which free treatment is now pro vided for lighthouse keepers, are obviously inaccessible for a large number of keepers. Legislation is recommended authorizing the establishment and maintenance of post-lantern lights and other aids to navigation on the Yukon River and its tributaries, Alaska. The waters of the Yukon delta are already being marked, but congressional authority is required for the Lighthouse Service to extend its jurisdiction to the non tidal waters of these rivers. Navigation of the Yukon River is increasing, and as it is navigable for a long distance many lights and day marks are required. An appropriation of $50,000 is strongly recommended for estab lishing and improving aids to navigation in the Virgin Islands of the United States, West Indies, and adjacent waters. This work was authorized by Congress by the act approved June 20, 1918 (40 Stat., 608), but no appropriation has been made. The Naval Governor of the Virgin Islands in a letter dated July 15, 1919, strongly urged that this matter be given the serious consideration it deserves in order to facilitate and safeguard the very large amount of shipping in these islands. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. l67 The act of June 20, 1918, providing for voluntary reti.ement at the age of 65 after 30 years’ service, and compulsory retire ment at the age of 70, for certain classes of employees of the Lighthouse Service has proved beneficial both to the men eligible to reti.ement and to the Service in replacing such men with younger and more capable employees. Still greater efficiency, however, will result and hardship to deserving employees will be avoided if the same benefits are extended to persons who become disabled from efficiently peifo ming their duties by reason of disability incident to their work, such disability being'distinct from that caused by injury received in the line of duty, for which compensation is now provided by law. Legislation to this end is recommended. Appropriations for Special Works. The sundry civil act approved July 19, 1919, made the follow ing app; op; iations lor special wo.ks in the Lighthouse Se.vice: Restoring and improving Execution Rocks Light Station, N. Y ..................... $10, ooo Rebuilding Point Jiguero Light Station, P. R ................................................... 24, 000 Improving the light and fog signal at Manitowoc Breakwater Light Station, Wis........................................................................................................................ 9,000 Completing the removal and rebuilding of Chicago Harbor Light Station, 111., 6,400 and establishing lights on the new breakwater in Chicago Harbor............. Constructing light keepers’ dwellings and appurtenant structures, including sites therefor, within the limit of cost fixed by the act approved February 26, 1907................................................................................................................. 50,000 Extending and enlarging the machine shop at the lighthouse depot, Tompkinsville, Staten Island, N. Y ............................................................................. 30,000 Providing riprap to reinforce foundations of light stations and constructing or improving boat landings in the third lighthouse district.......................... 150,000 Establishing new aids to navigation and improving existing aids in A laska.. 75, 000 Measures were taken to inaugurate work on all these projects and to push them to completion as promptly as possible. The deficiency appropriation act now pending contains the fol lowing items for the Lighthouse Service : Constructing or purchasing and equipping tenders and light vessels to replace those worn out in service....................................................................... $760,000 Diamond Shoal Light Vessel, N. C .................................................................... 450,000 Completing the light and fog-signal station at Conneaut, Ohio....................... 19, 600 The item of $760,000 is of special importance, marking the beginning, and only the beginning, of the process of replacement of the many old and worn-out vessels in the Se. vice, leferied to in Appendix A of this report. The item of $450,000 for Diamond Shoal is for the replacement of the light vessel sunk by a German submarine on August 6, 1918. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY. (C ol. E . L e ste r Jo n e s , Superintendent.) Important Publications. Two publications of special importance were issued during the fiscal year 1918. One of these is the series of publications on the Lambert Con formal Conic Projection. The principle of the Lambert projec tion is in a measure graphically illustrated in the figure opposite. Many methods of projection have been designed to solve the difficult problem of representing a spherical surface on a plane. As different projections have unquestionably merits as well as equally serious defects, any region to be mapped should be made the subject of special study and that system of projection adopted which will give the best results for the area and purposes under consideration. The Mercator projection, almost universally used for nautical charts, is responsible for many false impressions of the relative size of countries differing in latitude. The polyconic projection widely used and well adapted for most topographic and hydrographic surveys, when used for the whole of the United States in one map, has the serious defect of unduly exaggerating the areas on its eastern and western limits. Along the Pacific coast and in Maine the error in scale is as much as 6l/ i per cent, while at New York it reaches 4% per cent. The value of the new outline map on the new Lambert projection can best be realized when it is stated that throughout the larger and most important parts of the United States— that is, between latitudes 30% and 490— the maximum scale error is only one-half of 1 per cent. This scale error of one-half of 1 per cent is fre quently less than the distortion due to the method of printing and to changes from the humidity of the air. Only in southern most Florida and Texas does this projection attain its maximum error of 2J/3 per cent. The Lambert projection is well adapted to large areas of pre dominating east-and-west dimensions, as the United States, where the distances across from east to west is one and four-fifths times that of the distance north and south. 168 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 169 The strength of the polyconic projection, on the other hand, is along its central meridian. The merits and defects of the two sys tems of projection may be stated in a general way as being at right angles with each other. Special features of the Lambert projection that are not found in the polyconic may be stated briefly, as follows: LIM ITS of p r o j e c t io n LAMBERT'S CONFORMAL CONIC PROJECTION Diagram illustrating the intersection of a cone and Sphere along the two standard parallels. 1. The Lambert projection is conformal; that is, all angles between intersecting lines or curves are preserved, and for any given point (or restricted locality) the ratio of the length of a linear element on the earth’s surface to the length on the corre sponding map element is constant for all azimuths or directions in which the element may be taken. 170 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 2. The meridians are straight lines and the parallels are con centric circles. 3. It has two axes of strength instead of one, the standard parallels of the map of the United States being latitudes 330 and 450, and upon these parallels the scale is absolutely true. The scale for any other part of the map, or any parallel, can be obtained from tables contained in one of the series of these publications. By means of these tables, the very small scale errors in this projection can be entirely eliminated. The other publication is the Report on the Connection of the Arcs of Primary Triangulation Along the Ninety-Eighth Meridian in the United States and in Mexico and on Triangulation in Southern Texas. An event of the greatest importance in the history of geodesy was consummated in the spring of 1916, when observations were made at stations on the northern and southern banks of the Rio Grande, which connected the arcs of primary triangulation which had been established in the United States and in Mexico along the ninety-eighth meridian. The connection is interesting to the geodesist, because it makes available a very long meridional arc of connected and completed triangulation. This connectioh will make available data from which to com pute with greater accuracy than heretofore the dimensions of the earth. This will in itself make the work a notable contribution to science. But of even greater moment is the fact that the con nection of the triangulation of the United States and Mexico will enable the latter country to extend to new areas from the ninetyeighth meridian arc geodetic control for surveys and maps in the form of triangulation which can be made on the North American datum. This datum had been called the United States standard datum previous to the year 1913, when it was also adopted by Mexico and Canada for their geodetic coordinates. Its designation was changed to the North American datum when it had thus attained an international character. Field Work. This country was at war with Germany during the period this report covers, and the naval needs of the country required all available vessels. It was, therefore, very' late in the fiscal year 1919 before any vessels could be released for civil duties. The five vessels of the Coast and Geodetic Survey that had been trans- 171 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. ferred to the Navy Department to meet its needs were retrans ferred to the Coast and Geodetic Survey April 1, 1919, by Executive order. These vessels are the Surveyor, the Bache, the Isis, the Explorer, and the Patterson (temporarily renamed the Forward). Under authority of the act of Congress, section 8557, Compiled Statutes (R. S. 4686), the President is authorized to transfer such vessels, boats, and auxiliary ships or any of them which are not necessary to the needs of the Navy to any other executive depart ment of the Government that has need for such vessels. Acting under this authority, the following vessels of the Navy Department were transferred to the service and jurisdiction of the Coast and Geodetic Survey : Natoma, April 9, 1919; Wenonah, April 12, 1919; Onward, April 19, 1919; Ranger, April 28, 1919; Arcturus, May 5, 1 91 9 The following table gives a condensed statement of the vessels at the disposal of the Coast and Geodetic Survey within the fiscal year: N am e of vessel. Owned by Loaned to Coast and Coast and Transferred Sold during to Coast and Geodetic Sur Geodetic Sur the fiscal Geodetic Sur vey by Phil vey a t begin year. vey by Navy. ippine Gov ning of fiscal year. ernm ent. 1 .. .............. T o ta l.................................................................. 5 a 9 X Transferred from N avy.................................................................................................. Loaned by Philippine Government............................................................................. Owned by Coast and Geodetic Survey........................................................................ 5 a 9 Total..................................................................................................................... Sold during the year...................................................................................................... 16 i Total vessels at disposal of the Survey at end of fiscal year.......................... 15 172 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The following statement is instructive as to the size of the vessels now operated by the bureau: Gross tonnage. Surveyor.......................................... i, ooo 690 Pathfinder........................................ Patterson.......................................... 500 Areturus........................................... 456 Fathomer.......................................... 431 Rotnblon........ »............................... 411 Isis........................................................ 377 Bache................................................ 370 Gross tonnage. Explorer........................................... Wenonah........................................... Ranger.............................................. Onward............................................. Matchless.......................................... Hydrographer................................... Natoma.................. 335 240 219 157 118 116 112 Summarized, the hydrographic accomplishments during the fiscal year are as follows: Square sta tu te miles. Ship hydrography....................................................................................................... 784.2 Launch hydrography.................................................................................................. 89.1 Wire-drag surveys....................................................................................................... 510.6 Revision surveys........................................................................................................ 82.0 Last year Congress authorizeda nominal extracompensation to employees of the Bureau of Lighthouses stationed on lightships when they are engaged in making current observations for the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Under this arrangement observa tions were begun as soon as instruments could be procured and installed on the various lightships. Within the year such observa tions were made on 23 different lightships stationed on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Short series of current observations were made at 57 different stations on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Tidal observations were made throughout the year at 12 perma nent tidal stations, 9 on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and 2 on the Pacific coast. Besides the tidal observations at the permanent stations, important observations were made at 44 different stations on both coasts of continental United States, and on the coasts of Alaska and the Philippine Islands. In connection with the hydrographic work, 96.7 square miles of topography were executed. Primary triangulation was executed from theninety-eighth merid ian, in the vicinity of Waco, Tex., to Robeline, La. The length of this scheme is 255 miles, and an area of 3,570 square miles was covered. Secondary triangulation was run from Sanford, N. C., to the vicinity of Madison, N. C. The length of the scheme is 120 miles, and the area covered is 1,700 square miles. Secondary tri angulation was also run from Turkey Point Light to Sandy Point Light, Chesapeake Bay. The length of this scheme is 37 miles, and the area covered is 210 square miles. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 1 73 Tertiary triangulation was executed as follows: Morro Bay, Calif.: Length of scheme, 5 miles; area covered, 8 square miles. Key Biscayne in the vicinity of Miami, F la.: Length of scheme, 15 miles; area covered, 42 square miles. Vicinity of Charleston, S. C .: Length of scheme, 14 miles; area covered, 27 square miles. A primary traverse was run from Vaughan, N. C., to Blaney, S. C. The length of the line is 235 miles. Another primary trav erse was run from Wilmington to Sanford, N. C. . The length of this line is 125 miles. One arc of reconnoissance extends from the vicinity of Waco, Tex., eastward to Robeline, La. The length of this reconnoissance is 255 miles. Another reconnoissance, 50 miles in length, was run in the vicinity of Prescott, Ariz. A line of reconnoissance, also 50 miles in length, was run in the vicinity of Richfield, Utah. There were 1,190 miles of precise leveling run during the fiscal year 1919. Magnetic observations were made during the year at 77 stations in 11 States, of which 34 were new primary stations, 17 auxiliary stations, 22 repeat stations for the determination-of secular change, and 4 new stations in old localities. The regular observatories of the bureau at Cheltenham, Md.; Vieques, P. R.; Tucson, Ariz.; Sitka, Alaska; and near Honolulu, Hawaii, were in operation throughout the year. Needs of the Survey to Better Accomplish its Field Work. The end of the fiscal year finds the Survey with a fleet of 15 vessels, a truly considerable number when compared with those available in previous years and probably more than has ever been at the disposal of the bureau at any one time in its history. This comparatively large number of vessels is due to the fact that five vessels have been transferred to the bureau from the Navy Department under authority of the Executive order of May 24, 1919. These five were part of a number of vessels that the Navy Department had acquired to meet the temporary naval need for patrol boats, etc., during the war. Even with these additions from the Navy Department, however, the condition of the Sur vey’s fleet is unsatisfactory. While there are numbers, there are inefficient units. When it was learned that the Navy had vessels that could be transferred, a board of Coast Survey officers was appointed to consult with the proper officials of the Navy Depart ment to learn what vessels were available for transfer that were suited to the needs of the Survey. After a thorough examination of all the vessels that the Navy Department had available for 174 REPORT OE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. transfer, the board recommended that the five vessels above named be taken over. These vessels were accepted not because they are wholly suited for our work, but because they are the best means to an end at the present time. I feel that we have a great responsibility in meeting the marine needs of this country in find ing and charting the dangers to navigation. The need is so pressing that we are confident that we are justified in doing what can be done with these vessels turned over by the Navy Depart ment, though at an overhead cost considerably more than if vessels designed for the use of the Survey could be had. The vessels we have thus acquired, after a careful investigation of those available, can not be efficiently operated as surveying vessels. Ship hydrography can not be economically carried on with a vessel that is too large, because too large a complement of officers and men is required, nor can the work be done with safety with a vessel that is too small, because she can not live through the severe weather that will be met. Furthermore, the character of the area to be surveyed seldom permits clean-cut classification, so that it can be determined before hand that this portion of it will be done by vessel and that by launches. Greater and more econ omical progress is made if the vessel is equipped to carry launches on her deck, and when the field of operation is reached the launch hydrography (in waters too shallow for the vessel to operate) is done in conjunction with the ship hydrography. Thus the entire area is covered by the same party during the same season. There are two classes of ship hydrography: Offshore, such as that off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington, out to the 1,000-fathom curve. The other class is known as combined hydrography, such as that along the coast of Alaska, where there are many areas of which the deeper water hydrography must be done by a vessel and the waters inshore by launches. The particular reasons why the yachts that we have obtained from the Navy Department are not suitable for either of these classes of hydrography are these: The offshore hydrography that must be done by ships along the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California out to the i ,ooo-fathom curve extends a general average distance of 30 miles from shore. Along these coasts the harbors of refuge are few and far between. Furthermore, the storms encountered within the area that must be surveyed are generally very severe. To buffet the storms that will surely be encountered a stanch sea-going vessel is required. The yachts now in our pos REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 175 session have neither the strength required of hull nor machinery to stand the strain to which they would be subjected in these storms. Furthermore, if they were stanch enough for this out side work, they have not the fuel capacity to make it economical to operate them there. Too much time would have to be expended in running to the widely separated ports to obtain fuel supplies. This class of hydrography is done by running lines of soundings at right angles to the shore to and from the shore out to the 1,000fathom curve. If a vessel only has fuel capacity to enable her to make but a few trips from the shore out to the 1 ,ooo-fathonr curve and back to shore and then she must abandon her work and steam some hundreds of miles to a port to obtain a fresh supply of fuel, it is readily seen that there is an enormous loss of time, and conse quently a great overhead cost to carry on this class of surveys with such a vessel. Vessels properly designed for this work are oil-burning and have a cruising radius of several thousand miles. The other class, known as combined hydrography, covers areas where for the sake of economy the ship hydrography and the launch hydrography should be executed at the same time. The vessels that came to us from the Navy Department were yachts. They were built for speed and along narrow lines. They neither have the deck room for the storage of launches or for installation of hoisting apparatus for hoisting them aboard the vessel, nor the stability to carry the apparatus. It seems to be the impression that there is no justification in our asking for appropriations for new vessels especially de signed for the work of this bureau so long as there would be sur plus vessels after the war; but such views are erroneous. A great public need would be more quickly met, and in the long run dol lars that come from the Public Treasury would be saved if proper surveying vessels were provided for this bureau. It costs prac tically as much in personnel, food, fuel, and supplies to operate an inefficient vessel as it does to operate an efficient one. As it is, we will make what progress we can at a very considerable loss of efficiency in picking here and there sheltered waters where these vessels can be used, and equip the larger ones with as many launches as they will carry, probably not more than two, so that the vessel hydrography will progress more rapidly than the launch hydrography and delays will be enforced in regions where com bined vessel and launch hydrography are necessary. There is as much necessity for vessels of special design for making surveys 176 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. as there is for use as tugs, ferries, lightships, and for freight or passenger vessels. In 16 years, or from 1903 to 1919, but one effective appropri ation was made for vessels for the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and that was for the fiscal year ended June 30, 19x6, when the sum of $289,000 was authorized for two new vessels, including their equipment. Through this appropriation we procured two vessels, one especially designed and built for a surveying vessel, and the other was purchased. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, an appropriation wras made in the following words: “ For one new vessel, including equipment, to cost not exceeding $354,000, $50,000.” The question was submitted to the Comptroller of the Treasury whether there was authority to enter into a contract for the con struction of a vessel to cost not exceeding the limit mentioned. The Comptroller held that the legislation did not in specific terms declare that a contract could be executed in excess of the amount appropriated, and therefore such a contract would be in violation of the act of June 30, 1906. We have never had the vessels and personnel to bring the sur veys of our waters up to a proper standard. The charts of Alaskan waters are incomplete, and the information shown on many of them is from exploration surveys by the Russians before Alaska was acquired by the United States and with a lack of exactness that would not be tolerated at the present time. The charts of the waters of the three Pacific Coast States do not contain sufficient information for offshore navigation and many of the charts of the Atlantic coast and Gulf coast of the United States are lacking in the same respect. And this should be borne in mind, that heretofore the vessels that plied our waters have been largely of foreign registration, and, therefore, losses on account of inadequate surveys have been borne to a considerable extent by other countries than ours, but that the war has brought about a great stimulation of shipbuilding in this country so that our vessels have increased from 26,397 with a gross tonnage of 8,871,037 on June 30, 1917, to 27,513 with a gross tonnage of 12,907,300 at the end of the fiscal year 1919. What is more sig nificant still is that the increase of our merchant fleet has been not in small coasting craft, but ships of a size and type adapted to ocean service. While on July 30, 1914, just before the out break of the great war, our seagoing merchant ships of 1,000 gross REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 177 tons or over numbered only 755, of 2,128,731 gross tons, these vessels of more than 1,000 gross tons number on June 30, 1919, no fewer than 2,058, of 7,300,022 gross tons, or a net gain of more than 5,000,000 tons in vessels capable of ocean navigation. In the sundry civil bill for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, the sum of $62,500 was appropriated for wire-drag launches, in cluding their equipment for the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Out of this appropriation four 6o-foot launches have been built and equipped and three 30-foot tenders. One 30-foot tender was purchased. While these launches have been in commission but a very short time, they have already demonstrated their efficiency in carrying on our wire-drag surveys. They are trim vessels, with sufficient strength to propel the wire drags and yet economical of fuel con sumption. They are especially designed for this class of work, and therefore have the proper amount of space, and in right place, for storing all the necessary equipment and implements for making wire-drag surveys. They are far superior to the weaker, lumber ing fishing vessels that have been hired heretofore for pulling the wire drag and which we have been forced to alter in order to install the wire-drag equipment, reels, engines, etc. With this demonstrated efficiency and economy that has resulted from the use of these vessels especially designed for this work, there is the stronger reason that such vessels should be utilized for carrying on all our wire-drag surveys. The wire-drag vessels that have been built for us out of the appropriation for 1919 arc sufficient to operate two wire-drag parties. There are four regions where the wire-drag survey only is capable of finding the hidden, under water dangers to navigation. These are all along the coast of New England, and Long Island Sound down to the entrance to New York Harbor. In this region are found the glacial deposits of bowlders left beneath the waters bordering the coast. The second general region is the coast of Florida from Palm Beach southward around the southern shores and up to the neighborhood of Cedar Keys. In these waters the coral reefs are dangers to navigation. Some of these reefs are in the form of small islands, known locally as keys, while others are entirely submerged and are grave menaces to navigation. While coral reefs are characteristic of all these waters, the regions where wire-drag examinations are most urgently needed are in the vicinity of Key West and to the west ward from there and then northward through the channels that 140261—19---- 12 i?8 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. commercial vessels take in and out of the Gulf from Mobile, New Orleans, etc. The third region where wire-drag surveys are re quired is in the coral-infested waters of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The fourth general region where wire-drag surveys are required is along the coast and through the passages of south eastern Alaska. The danger to be found here is the pinnacle rock, which is found in the form of a narrow needle-like rock that ex tends from a very great depth to very near the surface of the ocean. Ordinary soundings with the lead and line are of little avail in finding these pinnacle rocks and, indeed, are often quite deceptive in that such soundings show a very considerable depth and give assurance of safety, while danger may be at hand. Instances are known where the pinnacle rocks come to within a very short distance of the surface of the water, while soundings showed depths of hundreds of feet in their immediate neighbor hood. There is one other small area where the wire drag should be used. This is at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. The total area in square statute miles of these four general regions yet to be covered by the wire drag is 54,319. From this it follows that two wire-drag parties that can be operated with the modern wire-drag vessels that we now have can only accomplish a fractional part of the wire-drag work that remains to be done. In the belief that the remedy should be applied where the danger is greatest, one of these parties is operating in Long Island Sound and the other off the coast of Maine. Wire-drag work can be effectively carried on in these waters from about the 1st of April until the close of November. We have acquired from the Navy two fairly large power launches. While these har e not been built for wire-drag purposes, we believe that with some alteration they will fairly answer for this purpose. These will be used in Alaskan waters. The wire drag requires two power launches, one at each end of the drag. These launches are too large to be used both on the same drag. A very efficient drag would be for med by using one of these launches acquired from the Navy and one of the type of those that have been built for us out of the appiopiiations for 1919. Therefore what is needed is four additional 6o-foot launches of the type of those built out of tire appropriation for 1919. Two of these in conjunction with the two launches acquired from the Navy would make up two w'i.e-diag parties for the Alaskan waters, and the other two would provide a wi. e-drag party for the coast of Florida. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 179 There is more wire-drag work than can be completed by the five wire-drag parties that would be thus provided within the life time of the launches, a period of about 10 years. After that time the upkeep would be excessive. Another need of the field sendee of the bureau is an investiga tion of the possibilities of the use of the aeroplane in making topographic surveys and hydrographic examinations, as well as revision surveys. Aeroplane photographs were used to a very great extent during the war in locating military features of the enemy. The same principle can be used in surveying and mapping, but a large amount of research work will have to be done before the aeroplane photograph will give the accuracy required of the highest grade of surveying done by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. It is a very difficult matter to keep the topographic features up to date on the 700 charts of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey with the old methods, but it is possible in many cases, and especially in a flat country, to make very rapid revision of the shore line and adjacent land areas by means of photographs taken from aeroplanes. The mapping of the country adjacent to the shores where there is considerable relief is at present not practicable from the aero plane on account of the great amount of work that would be involved in reducing the photograph to the map. It is believed that methods will be developed by which this will be done more expeditiously, and then there will be no limit to the character of terrain on which the aeroplane can be used for surveying. It must not be supposed that the aeroplane can entirely super sede the usual methods of surveying. We shall still need trian gulation and traverse to give the fundamental control for the work, and much planetable work will have to be done to locate topographical features which may be used in the control of the position of the aeroplane photographs. It is also probable that the planetable will still be the method for placing the contours on the map. While it is possible to obtain some idea of the relief of the country from overlapping aeroplane photographs, at the same time the problem of placing contours accurately on the map is one which will be difficult to solve. The office expense of contouring a map from aeroplane photographs will undoubtedly be greater than by an instrumental party working in the field, if the contouring is to be of a high grade of accuracy. The most promising field for surveying and mapping from an aeroplane is i8 o REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. over flat country, or country with low reliefs, and in revision sur veys where the contouring has already been accurately done. The changing features are shore lines, woods, roads, bridges, etc. These features can be readily placed on the old map by fitting in the new features shown on the photograph. What seems to be most desirable at present is that we should have a research laboratory connected with the air service of the Army or the Navy in which various methods and instruments might be tested. Such a laboratory would preferably be in the vicinity of Washington, where the Government survey and map ping organizations are located. War Work of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. The Coast and Geodetic Survey bore an important burden during the war, both in the field and in the office. All told, 268 men drawn both from the field and the office took part in the war. These were drawn from all ranks of the employees of the bureau, ranging from the Superintendent to temporary men employed by the field parties. The bureau contributed five of its survey vessels to the fleet operated by the Navy. One of those vessels, the Surveyor, was employed on convoy duty to and from Mediterranean ports. While on one of these trips the convoy was attacked by two Ger man submarines, one of which was the famous U-39 which sunk the Lusitania. The U-39 fired a torpedo which grazed the bow of the Surveyor and was visible from the deck of that vessel. The wake of the submarine was picked up by the Surveyor and she was able to get in a position for favorable discharge of the depth charge. As the Surveyor was unable to leave the convoy, she was unable to return and finish the submarine, but did succeed in disabling it to the extent that the submarine was compelled to enter Cartagena, Spain, and intern there. Another vessel of the bureau, the Isis, was on duty at New York as flagship of the commandant of squad ron 2, cruiser force, from November 16, 1917, to October 14, 1918, and was on duty at Yorktown and Hampton Roads as flagship of division 4, battleship force 1, from October 15, 1918, to April 1, 1919. A third vessel, the Bache, was assigned to squadron 5, fifth district, and performed general salvage work, outside patrol, and guardship duty off Virginia Capes. Her primary' duty was identification and passing of all inbound and outbound vessels. She was the means of communication between naval authorities and these vessels. She handled mail, gave medical assistance to REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 1S1 passing vessels, and performed important salvage operations. Two other vessels of the bureau were assigned to patrol duty in Alaskan waters. They were the Explorer and the Patterson (re-named the Forward). Besides this direct assistance to the military branches of the Government by the contribution of men and vessels, the Coast and Geodetic Survey rendered valuable service to both these branches through its field and office force. In the field, assistance consisted of furnishing certain control for maps in critical areas selected by the chief of military mapping of the Corps of Engineers of the Army. These areas were in Texas, Georgia, Florida, South Caro lina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The work was chiefly triangu lation, traverse, and leveling. Special hydrographic examina tions were made by means of the wire drag at points designated by the Navy Department. Among such were the wire-drag sur veys in Long Island Sound and in York River (Chesapeake Bay). An extensive wire-drag examination was made of the waters of the vicinity of Eastport, Me. Besides this, surveys were made for the location of points for naval fire-control experiments, the reestab lishment of the speed trial course at Lewes, Del., for torpedo-boat destroyers, the location of the Port Jefferson trial course in Long Island Sound, and the Block Island (R. I.) trial course. Need for a New Building. Year after year I have called attention to the need of a modem and adequate building to house the Coast and Geodetic Survey. Efficient work can never be done in a building so unsuitable for the needs of the bureau it houses. It is physically impossible to bring together under proper super vision the different units of the organization. Where artisans, la borers, and employees of all kinds are scattered here and there in small rooms, under insanitary conditions, without proper light and ventilation, the best of results can not be expected. So acute did this become during the war, and so essential was the progress of that bureau to the successful prosecution of the war, that you authorized the use of $105,000 from your fund for the national security and de fense, for the construction of a small building adjoining the present buildings occupied by the bureau to relieve the congestion. This building is now completed, and the facilities that it affords only emphasize the great drawback and handicap under which the bu reau is operating in its present old quarters. STEAMBOAT-INSPECTION SERVICE. (George UhlER, S u p e r v is in g I n s p e c to r G e n e r a l .) Organization. There were the following positions in the Steamboat-Inspection Service at the close of business on June 30, 1919: At Washington, D. C. (central office force): Supervising Inspector General....................................................................... Deputy Supervising Inspector General (who is Acting Supervising Inspector General in the absence of that officer)..................................... Clerks................................................................................................................ Messenger............................ In the Service at large (field force): Supervising inspectors.................................................................................... Traveling inspectors........................................................................................ Local inspectors of hulls................................................................................. Local inspectors of boilers.............................................................................. Assistant inspectors of hulls........................................................................... Assistant inspectors of boilers........................................................................ Clerks to boards of local inspectors................................................................ Total i i io i ---- 13 u 3 48 48 82 83 97 ----- 372 385 Attention is specially directed to the small size of the central office force. Sixty-four permanent positions were added to the Service during the year, as follows: One supervising inspector at Seattle, Wash., and one traveling inspector with headquarters in the office of the Supervising Inspector General. One clerk in the office of the Supervising Inspector General, Washington, D. C. The following assistant inspectors: Two assistant inspectors of hulls and three assistant inspectors of boilers, San Francisco, Calif. Two assistant inspectors of hulls and two assistant inspec tors of boilers, Cleveland, Ohio. One assistant inspector of hulls and two assistant inspectors of boilers, Philadelphia, P a.; Seattle, Wash.; and Portland, Oreg. Two assistant inspectors of hulls and one assistant inspector of boilers, New York, N. Y. One assistant inspector of hulls and one assistant inspector of boilers, Boston, Mass.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Los Angeles, Calif.; New REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 183 London, Conn.; and Portland, Me. One assistant inspector of hulls, Baltimore, Md.; New Haven, Conn.; and Norfolk, Va. And one assistant inspector of boilers, Chicago, 111.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Toledo, Ohio. Twenty-four additional clerks were added in the Service at large. Summary of Activities and Statistics. Following is a summary of activities and statistics for the fiscal year 1919: The force inspected and certificated 7,407 vessels, with a total gross tonnage of 11,562,166, of which 7,134 were domestic vessels, with a total gross tonnage of 9,128,911, and 273 were foreign passenger steam vessels, with a total gross tonnage of 2,433,255. Of the domestic vessels there were 5,880 steam vessels, 709 motor vessels, 17 passenger barges, and 528 seagoing barges. There was an increase of 392 in the total number of vessels inspected and an increase of 3,097,470 in the total gross tonnage of vessels inspected, as compared with the previous fiscal year. Letters of approval of designs of boilers, engines, and other operating macliinery were granted to 23 steam vessels, with a total gross tonnage of 672. There were inspected for the United States Government 79 hulls and 2,337 boilers. There were 2,053 rein spections of passenger and ferry steamers. Licenses were issued to 28,069 officers of all grades. There were examined for visual defects 9,753 applicants for license, of whom 108 were found color blind or with other visual defects and rejected. Certificates of service were issued to 8,796 able seamen, and 760 were rejected. Certificates of efficiency were issued to 3,910 lifeboat men, and 344 were rejected. Steel plates for the construction of marine boilers to the num ber of 35,427 were inspected at the mills, and a large amount of other boiler material was inspected. There were examined and tested 435,337 new life preservers, of which number 8,311 were rejected. The total number of accidents resulting in loss of life was 194. The total number of lives lost was 543, of which 202 were passen gers. Of the lives lost, 170 were from suicide, accidental drown ing, and other causes beyond the power of the Service to prevent, leaving a loss of 373 as fairly chargeable to accidents, colli lions, iounderings, etc. There was an increase of 43 in the number of fives lost, as compared with the previous fiscal year. Passengers 184 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. to the number of 323,317,657 were carried on vessels required by law to make report of the number of passengers carried. Divid ing this number by 202, the total number of passengers lost, shows that 1,600,582 passengers were carried for each passenger lost. The number of lives directly saved by means of the life saving appliances required by law was 2,349. Reconstruction. One of the great problems to which the Nation must give its attention is that of transportation, and, so far as transportation by water is concerned, the Steamboat-Inspection Service must necessarily have an important part, because vessels of the American merchant marine are subject to the inspection of that Service. Therefore, if there can be any improvements made in the methods of administration, those improvements should be made now, so that the American merchant marine may not only be placed in the first rank of all the nations but that it may remain there. There will be briefly discussed the proposition of an improvement to be made in the approval of hull and boiler construction, the question of the licensing of men, and changes that should be made in the law with reference to boiler pressures. Centralization of Approval of Hull and Boiler Construction. It is important at this time to improve the methods of the approval of hull construction. This could be accomplished by creating in the office of the Supervising Inspector General a corps of experts, whose business it would be to examine and pass upon blue prints and specifications submitted by persons purposing to build ships. When approved, the blue prints would be referred to the respective boards of local inspectors in whose district the vessel or vessels were to be built. The inspectors’ duty would be to see that they were built in accordance with the blue prints. The result of this procedure would be to standardize in a large measure hull construction and hull inspection. Although the regulation adopted by the Board of Supervising Inspectors in regard to the stability of vessels provides that when inspectors have any reason to question the stability of any vessel under their jurisdiction they shall require the owners of the vessel to make inclining tests on such vessel under the supervision of expert naval architects provided by this Department, the Service does not discover the condition until after the vessel is navigated and until after the risk has been assumed by those who travel REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 185 upon the ship. It is proposed, therefore, to have enacted by the Board of Supervising Inspectors, without delay, a rule that will require a stability test of all vessels that are built, the tests to be conducted under the direction of naval architects provided by this Department. While this is a narrower proposition than that of the creation of a board of naval architects working under the direc tion of the Supervising Inspector General, it is one that will meet and possibly control the situation until proper action can be taken to provide for the corps of naval architects. It is also quite as necessary that boiler construction should be approved in the office of the Supervising Inspector General by a corps of expert engineers in the same manner as hull construction. It will be clear that, in order to have that uniform administran of the law with reference to the approval of hull and boiler onstruction, with which the Supervising Inspector General is charged, there must be centralized authority. Examination of Applicants for Licenses. It has been suggested to the Steamboat-Inspection Service that, if uniform methods were used in examining applicants, a better class of licensed officers would be obtained, and that the procedure of the Civil Service Commission should be followed, so fixing one general practice in this respect. On the other hand, it may be stated that the United States covers a vast expanse of territory, representing many varied local conditions, and it is felt that, in the matter of examining applicants, the local inspectors are better informed than any central authority could ever be. Furthermore, there would be considerable congestion in connection with obtaining licensed officers for the ships. These men do not come for examination once or twice a month, but usually every day, and the local inspectors adjust their business so as to examine them when they appear. As a result, the Service has been able under war conditions to obtain licensed officers for the rapidly increasing number of ships. Boiler Pressure. The rules of the Steamboat-Inspection Service are not up to date with reference to boiler pressures, proper credit is not given for the riveting plan above double riveting, and improvements can be made with reference to hydrostatic pressure. The Service, therefore, caused to be drafted a bill looking to the amendment of sections 4433 and 4418, Revised Statutes. That bill is Senate bill 574. i86 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The purposes of the proposed amendments in section 4433, Revised Statutes, are, first, to do away with the obsolete rule contained in the law, prescribing a working steam pressure for single-riveted joints, without taking into consideration the per centage strength of the riveted joint, and allowing 20 per cent additional pressure for double-riveted joints, but not allowing a greater working pressure for triple-riveted and quadruple-riveted, etc., lap and butt joints. For these, greater working pressure should be allowed on account of the greater strength of the tripleriveted and other similar joints. This greater allowable working pressure for the stronger forms of riveted joints has for years been desired by boiler users. The present law furnishes no incentive for building boilers with stronger kinds of joints than double-riveted joints that will carry a greater working pressure with but slight increase in the amount of material required for boiler shell. Further, by placing the authority to prescribe rules for working pressure on boilers with the Board of Supervising Inspectors, with the approval of the Secretary of Commerce, that board will prescribe rules that will meet the various conditions of boiler construction, taking into consideration the percentage strength of the various kinds of riveted joints. Rules for calking would be prescribed by the Board of Super vising Inspectors in connection with rules for riveted joints. The purpose of the amendments in section 4418, Revised Stat utes, is in order to leave with the Board of Supervising Inspectors the authority of determining the hydrostatic test in connection with the rules for riveting that would be adopted by the board and approved by the Secretary of Commerce. The proposition of giving the Board of Supervising Inspectors the authority to make modern its rules with reference to boiler pressures is consistent with the whole theory of reconstruction. It is absolutely necessary that it be adopted, in order that the rehabilitation of the American merchant marine may go forward without delay. Civil Service for the Supervising Inspectors. The supervising inspectors of the Steamboat-Inspection Service are not under the classified civil service. They are all presi dential appointees. They should be under the classified civil service. Quite generally the supervising inspectors are men who REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 187 have been promoted from the position of local inspector. When they come from the position of local inspector, they come out of the classified civil service, and they should be given the same protection under the classified civil service when they become a supervising inspector. At every presidential election there is a feeling of uneasiness and uncertainty as to what the future of the supervising inspectors will be. That condition ought not to exist, and, looking to increased efficiency in the SteamboatInspection Service, I urgently recommend that this important branch of that Service be placed under the classified civil service. BUREAU OF NAVIGATION. (E u g e n e T y l e r C h a m b e r l a in , Com m issioner.) American shipping registered for the foreign trade and enrolled and licensed for the coasting trade, including the fisheries, on June 30, 1919, comprised 27,513 vessels of 12,907,300 gross tons, compared with 26,711 vessels of 9,924,518 gross tons on June 30, 1918, an increase of 802 vessels and 2,982,782 gross tons. The following statement shows the total of our tonnage at the close of each of the past six fiscal years and indicates the great changes which have taken place within that period: C o a s tin g t r a d e . J u n e 30— F o r e ig n tra d e . T o t a l. G reat L akes. Sea and r iv e r s . 1 9 1 4 ............................................................................................................................................... * » 0 7 6 ,1 5 2 2 ,8 8 2 ,9 2 2 3 .9 6 9 ,6 1 4 7 ,9 2 8 ,6 8 8 * 9 * 5 ............................................................................................................................................... 1 .8 7 1 ,5 4 3 2 ,8 1 8 ,0 0 0 3 ,6 9 9 ,8 8 6 8 ,3 8 9 ,4 7 9 1 9 x 6 ................................................................................................................................................ 2 , 1 9 1 , 7*5 2 ,7 6 0 ,8 1 s 3 , s * 7 ,* * 9 8 ,4 6 9 ,6 4 9 * 9 * 7 ................................................................................................................................................ 7 ,4 4 6 ,3 9 9 2 ,7 6 9 .8 2 4 3 ,6 5 4 ,8 1 4 8 ,8 7 1 ,0 3 7 3 1 6 0 3 ,7 0 6 2 ,7 0 8 ,5 2 3 3 ,6 1 2 ,2 8 9 9 ,9 7 4 ,5 1 8 6 ,6 6 9 ,7 2 6 3 ,6 3 5 .6 8 0 3 ,6 0 1 ,8 9 4 * 2 ,9 0 7 ,3 0 0 These figures show for the dates named the gross tonnage of ships registered, enrolled, or licensed; but they must not be taken unqualifiedly as the evidence of commercial growth. Of the total tonnage 3,827,201 gross tons were vessels over 1,000 tons owned by the Shipping Board and represent appropriations by Congress and the sacrifices made by the American people to win the war. The figure just stated does not fully represent the extent of the Government’s ownership in ocean carrying, for on June 30, 1919, the War and Navy Departments were operating mainly as troop transports 405,021 gross tons of ships, including most of the former German merchant ships seized in American harbors. These ships are not under register or enrollment on account of their temporary employment, but in any adequate statement of our maritime resources should be added to the 3,827,201 gross tons of Shipping Board ships. Since 1914, as during the Napoleonic wars, American ships have appeared in large numbers in ports all over the world. Of the 188 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 189 total increase in our shipping since June 30, 1914, almost 5,000,000 gross tons, nearly all has consisted of ocean-going steel steamers of 1,000 gross tons or over, of which on June 30, 1914, we had 429 of 1,589,733 gross tons and on June 30, 1919, 1,436 of 6,072,901 gross tons. Though effected by war causes, this growth is in the direction of normal mercantile-marine development. The increase, on the other hand, in wooden seagoing steamers of over 1,000 gross tons from 8 of 10,595 gross tons on June 30, 1914, to 293 of 693,541 gross tons on June 30, 1919, is to be counted in large measure as among our sacrificial efforts to win the war. The vessels built in the United States and documented as vessels of the United States during the fiscal year numbered 1,953 of 3,326,621 gross tons, compared with 1,528 of 1,300,868 gross tons during the previous fiscal year. The standard by which the output of the United States should be measured is that of the rest of the world during prewar years. During the calendar year 1913, the year of the greatest prewar output, Lloyd’s returns show a total of 1,932,153 gross tons launched in the United Kingdom, her greatest output, and 1,124,276 gross tons launched by the rest of the world, excluding the United States, a grand total of 3,056,429 gross tons. During that year the United States launched 276,448 gross tons. In a word, the people of the United States, mainly through war loans and war taxes, have expanded the shipbuilding industry until in tonnage output it has equaled the world’s former annual commercial output of shipping. It is quite evident that this great industry can be maintained only if it is in a position to meet not merely the requirements for new tonnage of American shipowners, but also the requirements of shipowners of other nations less favor ably placed by natural causes and legislative support than are we for shipbuilding. World’s Tonnage. The world’s merchant tonnage is larger now than at any other time in history. Lloyd’s Register for 1914 stated the world’s total tonnage (vessels over 100 gross tons) at 49,089,000 gross tons, and the same authority for 1919 gives the world’s total as 50,919,000. A comparison of the volume of tonnage will be seriously mis leading unless the quality of the tonnage also is considered when estimating the work it can now' perform. About two-thirds of the tonnage now afloat was built before the war and has undergone 190 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. not merely five years of ordinary wear and tear, but, in addition, the strain of constant service, with limited repairs hastily made. Furthermore, submarine warfare was directed against the best types of passenger ships, and the loss of ocean liners was especially heavy. This has been partly, not wholly, made good by the transfer of the former German passenger fleet to the flags of the maritime powers. The repair and restoration to a fair measure of usefulness of the ships built before the war has been undertaken, but it has involved temporary withdrawal of considerable tonnage. The ships built during the war, taken as a whole, are inferior to the ships built before the war. This statement involves no reflection upon shipbuilders and shipowners. Indeed, they have had much less authority than usual over the plans or methods of ship construction, Government here and abroad having assumed virtually entire control over the building and operation of ships. The aim of Government generally has been to turn out the greatest volume of tonnage in the shortest possible time. The average speed of ships built during the war was below the average of pre war construction. Very few passenger ships were built, and the urgent need for engines involved the building of cargo boats slower on the average than those building in 1914. The aver age size of ships was also smaller, because many of the yards formerly engaged in building larger ships were employed dur ing the war on naval construction, and many of the new yards hastily established could turn out only smaller ones. Finally, hurried workmanship by labor in process of training can not be expected to produce the best results. The new oil-burning ships have, however, plain advantages in many trades over coalburning ships. These factors in the situation, though not easy to reduce to mathematical form, must be weighed in drawing conclusions from a comparison of the world’s total tonnage now and before the war. A true guide for present purposes would be a statement of the tonnage clearances of shipping in the world’s foreign trade by sea, but such a statement is not now available. The total clearances with cargo, however, from the ports of the United Kingdom for ports in foreign countries (excluding Ger many) and British possessions during the seven months ended July 31, 1919, were 19,286,256 net tons, compared with 13,114,208 net tons for the corresponding period in 1918 and 36,261,475 net tons for the corresponding period in 1914. The tonnage clearances REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 191 from the United States for Europe, Asia, Australia, Afr'ca, and South America for several fiscal years are at hand, stated in net tons (each of 100 cubic feet of closed in ship space). The following table shows the shipping actually available and employed for cargo and passengers clearing in overseas trade from the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1914, the year of our greatest clearances before the war, during the year ended June 30, 1918, and the year ended June 30, 1919: For— T o t a l............................................................................................. 1914 19 18 1 9 X9 1 6 ,4 3 1 ,1 2 3 l6 ,I 4 4 ,I l8 * 4 ,2 6 3 ,5 4 7 2 »4 2 9 . 6 5 9 2, « 7 . 976 2 ,7 0 5 ,3 6 s 1 , 9 9 0 ,1 0 5 2 , 0 9 5 ,3 2 4 2 , 5 2 9 ,9 9 8 4 0 6 ,4 s 7 2 3 5 ,6 4 9 2 0 , 9 7 0 ,3 3 9 1 8 , 8 3 2 ,4 9 6 393,97 > 2 2 ,0 0 0 ,4 5 7 From the clearances for Europe are excluded those for Ger many, of which in 1918 there wrere none and in 1919 only 9,734 net tons, but 3,902,073 net tons in 1914. The figures for 1918 and 1919, however, do not include the shipping employed in transporting troops and our munitions of war, which greatly ex ceeded the tonnage clearances in previous times for Germany. In ordinary times, on account of the greater bulk of our ex ports, ships usually clear from the United States with ample cargoes, while many enter in ballast or with part cargoes. In 1914, for example, 15 per cent of the shipping from Europe en tered the United States in ballast, and at the present time the proportion is much greater, though the precise figures are not at hand. To a greater extent than usual, accordingly, foreign con sumers must pay high freights on their imports from the United States, for those freights must often cover the charges of the voyage in ballast to America. Evidently such conditions can not long continue. So far as the production of shipping to meet the situation is concerned, good progress is shown by Lloyd’s report that on June 30, 1919, the merchant ships under construction in the world’s yards aggregated 8,017,767 gross tons, of which 3,874,143 gross tons were building in the United States and 2,324,050 in the United Kingdom. The largest tonnage building under prewar returns was 3,445,000 gross tons reported by Lloyd s for June 30, 1913- 192 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The growing share of American shipping in the overseas trade of the United States is shown by the following statement of the net tonnage of clearances of American ships for overseas during the fiscal years ended June 30, 1914, 1918, and 1919: For— T o tal........................................................................................................ 1914 1918 4 3 9 »261 1,671,081 1 9 2 ,4 7 9 100,833 4,263 823,354 287,386 49,460 7 3 6 ,8 3 6 2,831,281 1919 2,535,265 X,290,248 4 9 4 ,548 99,034 4,419,095 As in the preceding statement of total net-tonnage clearances (which included American), these figures do not include Ger many, to which in 1914 the American clearances amounted to 8,406 net tons, none in 1918, and 9,734 net tons in 1919. The net tonnage of many merchant ships converted into Army transports are not included in the figures above. Main Maritime Facts. The main facts in the general maritime situation at this time are as follows: 1. The world’s merchant tonnage is the largest in history, but its average efficiency is below that of 1914 for inherent reasons in construction and for extraneous reasons such as port conges tions, labor troubles, and management. The world’s net gain in steam tonnage is 2,500,000 gross tons, the gain of the United States 7,600,000 gross tons, the loss of the rest of the world 5,100,000 gross tons. 2. The merchant tonnage now' under construction is more than double the prewar output and is of increasing efficiency in the main. 3. The volume of the world’s ocean-borne commerce is less than in normal times and will continue less until industrial and agri cultural Europe has more fully recovered from the effects of the war. The proportion exports to Europe bear to the world’s total sea-borne commerce is above the average, involving high oceanfreight rates. Our maritime situation, mainly as the result of expenditures authorized by Congress equal to the book value of the whole world’s merchant fleets in 1914, is as follows: REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 193 1. Our seagoing steel steam tonnage (ships of over i ,ooo gross tons) on June 30, 1919, was over 6,000,000 gross tons, four times greater than in 1914, and is increasing at the rate of over 350,000 gross tons a month, equaling our best annual outputs before the war. 2. The annual output of our shipyards exceeds the greatest annual output of the world’s shipyards before 1914. 3. Steel-ship building plants have been extended or established with new machinery, methods, housing, and transit accommoda tions equal, and in some respects superior, to those abroad. 4. American tonnage clearing in overseas trade in the fiscal year 1919 was six times greater than in 1914. Maritime Problem. The maritime problem now before the United States is more difficult than in former years, because we have created with public funds a vast war plant of ships and shipyards which must be read justed to the requirements of commerce. Few will contend that shipbuilding and ship operation can be successfully maintained and developed in this country if Govern ment is to furnish the funds and almost exclusively control both, as for the past two years. The question of raising the money by loans and taxes for the purpose is not for the moment in mind, though evidently there is a limit to that not far off in time. The building and operation of ships are two forms of industrial activity which least of all admit of monopoly or combination. The ocean is free to those who wish to navigate it. The most ingenious legis lative devices, even in war times, have not restricted the individual of any country, except an enemy, from purchasing ships where he chooses and operating them. Limitations may be prescribed and obstacles erected, but these confirm the essentially competitive nature of shipbuilding and shipowning. These occupations ac cordingly offer some of the best fields for individual skill, appli cation, enterprise, and foresight and the least advantageous fields for a system of Government ownership and management in which the qualities named are more likely to be stunted than developed. It seems clear, therefore, that the restoration of our maritime affairs to individual control and operation is desirable for the healthy development of our national life. The sooner this action is taken the better for the future of the industries, because the next two years bid fair to be the crucial years in commercial mari140261— 19----- 13 194 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. time development. By that time it is reasonably safe to presume that the world’s ocean-borne trade will be conducted on terms of the closest and, it may be hoped, the fairest competition. American shipyards, accordingly, should be allowed to build freely for all comers, and in the long run they will gain by the withdrawal on equitable terms of Government contracts and the substitution therefor of private contracts. We already have steelship building plants nearly all of which are equal to and many superior to the older plants of other countries. The past two years have developed hundreds of thousands of shipbuilders who numbered only tens of thousands before the war. The supremacy of our steel industry is unchallenged. The same general principles should be considered in relation to the fleet afloat, the ships in operation or launched. Every interest suggests that these ships be disposed of to men trained to the most effective and economical operation of ships. The industrial and commercial situation of the world is too uncertain to warrant experiments in the operation of ships which might be inviting in times of general prosperity. There will doubtless be opportunity, and probably necessity, for some lines operated either partially or indirectly by the Govern ment in which to provide an outlet for our commerce to points that can not be profitably reached by private enterprise until commerce with them shall have been developed. Our ocean fleet is the servant of our trade, and where that trade can not be served effectively by private enterprise the Nation, through the Govern ment, must do its part in opening the way in which our commerce is to flow. There is room, therefore, in the ocean trade for full and free opportunity for private enterprise and for the helping hand of the Government to meet special conditions in order that our commerce and industries shall by both be adequately served. Subdivision of Hulls. The recommendations of the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, in so far as they relate to the subdivision of hulls and other structural details of ocean passenger ships, have been held in abeyance during the war, although British transAtlantic passenger ships have been built during the period in voluntary compliance with those recommendations. Although during the war we confined our efforts to building cargo ships, we must now include ocean passenger ships, and the recommenda tions of the conference and experience gained from the past five years should be considered in making plans for such ships. The REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 195 subject called for prompt action, and I have accordingly requested the American members of the construction committee at the international conference to recommend a course of action and the administrative machinery required. These gentlemen— Rear Admiral W. U. Capps, U. S. Navy; Mr. Homer L. Ferguson, president of the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. and of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States; and Mr. Alfred Gilbert Smith, president of the New York & Cuba Mail S. S. Co.— are of acknowledged standing and authority. It will undoubtedly be desirable to provide for a small technical staff to be permanently attached to the Department of Commerce to consider questions of the construction of passenger ships, whether the conference regulations or modifications of them be adopted. Shipping Commissioners. During the year 485,796 officers and men have been shipped and discharged, included repeated shipments and discharges, by United States shipping commissioners, compared with 457,248 for 1918 and 506,941 during 1917. Collectors of customs acting as shipping commissioners at ports where those officers are not estab lished shipped and discharged last year 37,978 men, compared with 35,131 for the previous fiscal year and 18,439 for the fiscal year 1917. The great increase in American shipping in foreign trade is not reflected in these figures, because during the wrar our ships were manned to a great extent by men in the Navy. These naval crews are being discharged and merchant crews provided, as contemplated by law, for merchant ships. The work of ship ping commissioners is increasing, especially at the principal sea ports, and it has been necessary to submit deficiency estimates to cover this increase. Navigation Receipts. The receipts from tonnage duties during the fiscal year amounted to $1,265,229.23 (including $2,041.98 Philippine Islands fund and $5,028.50 alien and penal tonnage duties and light money). The total is $93,810.87 greater than for the previous fiscal year. The largest annual receipts from tonnage duties were $1,454,565.83 for the year ended June 30, 1916, and during the current fiscal year receipts from this source should become normal and ap proach that amount. Receipts from navigation fees amounted to $143,492.19, com pared with $146,508.02 for the previous year. The receipts from 1 96 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. navigation fines and penalties amounted to $162,146.50, compared with $32,097.68 for the previous year. The increase is almost wholly due to the forfeiture of the steamer Sacramento. This ship was a former German ship which by fraud secured an American register at San Francisco and forthwith under German direction proceeded with supplies to the squadron of Admiral von Spee, off the Juan Fernandez Islands, thus enabling that squadron to sail to its destruction off the Falklands. The steamer Sacramento was decreed forfeited and the forfeiture compromised for $250,000, of which $125,000 was paid last year, and the balance is to be paid during the current fiscal year. The total navigation receipts for the year thus have been $1,570,867.92, compared with $1,351,492.66 for the previous fiscal year. It may be noted that the appropriations by Congress for all branches of the Navigation Bureau amounted to $217,045. Radio Communication. Under the Executive order of April 30, 1917, “ to insure the proper conduct of the war against the Imperial German Govern ment and the successful termination thereof ” coast radio stations were operated by the Navy Department or closed, and the order is still in force, pending ratification of the treaty of peace. The Navy Department continued the supervision of the allotment of radio apparatus to ship and shore stations and supplied naval radio operators to many ships. The regular force of radio in spectors of the Bureau of Navigation continued to serve with our armed forces ashore and afloat, and I am pleased to add that the value of their services in many instances has been recognized by our Government and the Governments of the allies by pro motion and by the award of decorations. Many of our force have now been honorably discharged from the Army or Navy and with a few exceptions have returned to the bureau. During the past year the bureau’s Radio Service made 4,243 inspections on ships subject to the radio ship act, compared with 4,341 similar inspections during the previous fiscal year and, in addition, 917 inspections of the apparatus on ships voluntarily equipped. The inspections developed 425 cases of apparatus more or less defective or of inadequate complement of radio operators. The inspection of ship apparatus was of the first importance for security, particularly during hostilities. It was not possible with the force available to make the critical examination of REPORT OP THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 197 apparatus preliminary to the issue of licenses to ship stations under the act to regulate radio communication and the treaty to which it gives effect. Only 250 ship stations were thus fully examined, but, in addition, provisional licenses were issued to 1,196 ship stations. In some instances the apparatus for these stations was furnished by the Navy Department and was at times necessarily incomplete or imperfect. In addition, 866 ships are equipped with wireless apparatus, requiring licenses which it has not been practicable to issue even provisionally. This branch of the work is very much in arrears, and the laws can be carried out only by a considerable increase in the inspec tion force for which a deficiency estimate has been submitted to Congress. On July i, 1915, only 897 American ships were equipped with apparatus for radio communication, while on July 1, 1919, the number was 2,312. Meanwhile the appropria tion for the maintenance of the wireless-inspection service in all its branches has remained $45,000. With the coming of peace it will be necessary not only to overcome the arrears, but to provide for regularly continuing inspection, which soon will involve three times the number of American ships subject thereto in 1915. The total number of examinations of applicants for radio oper ator’s license was 2,729. One thousand one hundred and twentyfour passed the examinations and received operator’s licenses. In addition, the licenses of 579 operators were renewed. After years of effort, the Bureau of Navigation has secured for its license to radio operators a reputation in the technical world so that the license is sought for as an evidence of proficiency by foreign operators, as well as by our own. The bureau decided not to lower the standard of its examination and license, but to meet emergencies due to the shortage of radio operators by authorizing inspectors to allow operators with some experience, but unable to pass the examination, to go to sea under a temporary permit. At the end of the fiscal year June 30, 1919, there were outstanding 48 commercial extra first-operators’ licenses, 2,436 commercial first licenses, and 610 commercial second licenses, in all 3,094 operators, a number insufficient even if all were fully employed all the time to fully man the 2,312 American ships equipped with radio apparatus on June 30, 1919. The deficiency, however, is being partly overcome by the radio inspectors, who are instructed to give special attention to the examination of operators. 198 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. The examination and license of amateur operators and stations ceased in April, 1917. The amateur field has recently again been opened. The volume of radio inspection will thus be very much greater than it was before the war; furthermore, the commercial radio equipment of the near future will differ in many respects from that of the past because of the improvements, developments, and inventions resulting from the intensified use of radio communica tion during the war. More flexible and efficient equipment will come into use, including the radio telephone. The invention and improvement of directional radio apparatus by which position may lie determined, to a great extent the result of investigations by an expert in the Bureau of »Standards, this Department, have a special and obvious value at sea. Improvements in the tuning of apparatus permit a greatly increased amount of traffic. Radio telegraphy in certain localities where the maintenance of wire lines is impossible for physical reasons or prohibited on account of cost must hereafter be reckoned with. The wonderful ad vances in aerial navigation with the use of wireless for communi cation between ships in the air and stations on the earth intro duces another complication. The subject of the scientific development of radio communica tion during the war is too technical and complicated to be set forth in detail in this report. It is mentioned as showing that operators hereafter must have a broader theoretical training and a more accurate knowledge of the radio art than hitherto, the standards of the inspection service and the scientific qualifications of the inspectors must be advanced. These considerations have led the Department to ask for a deficiency appropriation of $55,000 to meet conditions and requirements when radio com munication resumes its normal place as an instrument of com mercial communication. International Radiotélégraphie Conference. The developments in radio communication and the great improvement in transoceanic radio communication point to the need of a revision of the International Radiotélégraphie Con vention of 1912, to which the United States is signatory. The International Radiotélégraphie Conference adjourned at London with the understanding that the next conference should be held in 1917. The war made that impossible, but all are agreed that the conference should be held as early as possible in 1920, and Congress will be asked to provide for American representation. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 199 Load Line, Measurement, Bulkheads. The necessity for legislation to provide for load lines on cargo vessels has been referred to in my former reports. A bill (S. 575; H. R. 3621) embodying the views of this Department has been favorably reported to the Senate and the House of Representa tives. The bill enables the Secretary of Commerce to avail himself of the facilities afforded by the American Bureau of Shipping and gives that useful organization an official status, establishing rela tions between our Government and the American bureau similar to those between the British Government and Lloyd’s Society. To give effect to the legislation, several high-grade technical experts will be needed in the Department of Commerce, and at some ports it will be necessary to provide officers competent to make the surveys preliminary to the establishment of load line's in the case of ships which are not classed by the American bureau or by other classification societies. The estimates to give effect to the load-line bill, if enacted, are being prepared. In my report for 1917 mention was made of the need for creating in seaboard and Great Lakes shipbuilding districts a small corps of men trained to the accurate measurement of ship tonnage instead of relying upon the detail of customs inspectors. This matter has not been pressed during the war. Hundreds of ships have been built in this period from a few sets of plans supplied by the Govern ment simplifying the work of measurement. When one ship of a certain type had been carefully measured, it was necessary merely to send blue prints and results for their guidance to customs officers in districts where other ships of the same type and dimensions were under construction. In normal times many ships are built with regard to the particular trades in which they are to engage. This is the only way in which the fullest use can be secured from them and is necessary to success in the highly competitive business of shipping in foreign trade. In time we shall return to normal conditions. The Department of Commerce will then require a force of measurers of ships. Legislation and the estimates to give it effect await surer signs of the return to normal conditions in shipbuilding than are now in sight. With the return of normal conditions it will be necessary also to give closer attention to bulkheads and other important details of construction. Here, too, any intelligent action by the Government will require a small technical staff in the Department of Commerce and officers 200 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. at certain seaports capable of giving effect understandinglv to its recommendations and conclusions. The three subjects load line, measurement, and bulkheads in volve considerations of the safety of the ship and those on board which are paramount. They involve also issues of commercial competition on equal and fair terms. For both reasons it is plainly desk able that there should be substantial accord between the maritime powers in their legislation and administrative meas ures. Again, conditions at present are too iemote from normal to warrant the suggestion of early and formal meetings of the maritime representatives of those powers to consider measures to effect such accord. It is not, however, too early to begin those informal conversations which necessarily must go before more formal action, and the Bureau of Navigation has the general subject under consideration. Enforcement of Navigation Laws. During the year 1919 the various services of the Bureau of Navigation reported 8,172 violations of the Navigation Laws, the largest number acted upon by this Department since its creation. These violations resulted in the collection of $162,146.50 as fines, the largest amount collected from this source at least during the last 25 years, due mainly to the collection of a single penalty of $125,000 in the case before described. The work of enforcing the law was performed through the offices of the collectors of customs, navigation inspectors, Steamboat-In spection Service, and the Department’s inspection boats. In ad dition to these, 56 owners of motor boats, most of them members of the United States power squadron, tendered their services and boats on Sundays and holidays at $1 per year. During 1919 there were 11,071 counts of passengers going on ex cursion steamers aggregating 7,783,791 passengers, as compared with 4,916,772 passengeis for the previous year. Of this number the navigation inspectors made 7,380 counts of 6,250,948 pas sengers. O11 408 occasions it was found necessary to prevent more pas sengers going on board vessels. This involved the safety of 186,307 passengers. The navigation inspectors are employed only during the months of June, July, and August. While not count ing passengers they are employed in the general enforcement of the navigation laws, especially those relating to motor boats. During the fiscal year passenger ships on 314 voyages brought 55,603 steerage passengers to the United States, compared with REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 201 67,988 such passengers in 1918, 147,493 passengers in 19x7, 154,057 in 1916, 211,057 in 1915. Motor Boats. The general resumption of the use of motor boats has extended the usefulness of our inspection vessels in safeguarding the lives of those using them. The act of June 7, 1918, requiring the numbering of undocu mented motor boats went into effect December 7, 1918, and is quite generally complied with, especially in those sections where we have facilities for the enforcement of the law. Up to July 1 of this year there had been numbered 91,916 motorboats. It is estimated that there are approximately 250,000 motor boats in the United .States, perhaps 200,000 of which are subject to this law. For its enforcement it is essential that the Department should have additional facilities. There have been turned over to us by the Navy Department two small motor boats used by them during the war as station patrols which are especially adapted to our service. The House Committee on Appropriations has included in the deficiency bill for 1920 a provision which will enable us to place these vessels in operation about the first of March and continue their use during the balance of the fiscal year. We wall thus be able to cover with our five vessels the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Mississippi River and tributaries, and place one vessel on the Great Lakes. The inspection forces of the Bureau of Navigation are cooper ating with the Internal Revenue Bureau in the collection of taxes imposed on the use and business of motor boats. The revenue derived from the work of these inspection boats of the Depart ment in the collection of taxes and navigation fines should be greatly in excess of their cost of operation. CONCLUSION. Need for a Unified Government Commercial Organization. Section 3 of the organic act of February 14, 1903 (32 Stat., 825), provides as follows : It shall be the province and duty of said Department to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce, the mining, manufacturing, shipping, and fishery industries, the labor interests, and the transportation facilities of the United States; and to this end it shall be vested with jurisdiction and control of the depart ments, bureaus, offices, and branches of the public service hereinafter specified, and with such other powers and duties as may be prescribed by law . So much of the foregoing as relates to labor interests is super seded by the organic act creating the Department of Labor. The balance remains in full force and vigor. There is no other department of the Government charged by law with the broad duty to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce, etc., of the United .States. It is assumed that this law was meant to be taken seriously; that the duties imposed by it upon the Department of Commerce were real duties; and that it should have the authority and the responsibility of performing them. It is, perhaps, not too much to assume that the Depart ment of Commerce was, within the sphere which is above out lined, intended to have the same authority and influence that the Treasury Department has in finance, the War and Navy Depart ments in their respective fields of military effort, the Agriculture Department in the field of agriculture, the Department of State in diplomacy, and, indeed, each of the other executive depart ments within its lawful field. Such is, however, not the case. Other bodies exist who per form in whole or in part the duty charged by law upon the Depart ment of Commerce. In writing frankly of the actual situation it should be premised that the matter is not discussed in any spirit of complaint, nor is there any thought of criticism of persons or of specific bodies. The subject under review is a matter of organiza tion, and the question being discussed is whether our present organization is fitted to cope effectively with the serious com mercial problems that face the country. Any review of the commercial work of the Government must show that the absence of organization is its most conspicuous 202 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 203 feature. There is an excess of organizations; too little system. Numerous bodies exist, functioning more or less in the same field or with direct action therein, each independent, without coordina tion, without liaison, without the obligation on the part of any of them to inform the others. In short, there exists in our public commercial organization very much the same condition that existed in the allied armies before unity of command was secured. It would not be questioned that before that time the commanders of the allied and associated forces were sincere, competent, and devoted men. Each, in his own separate sphere, was doing his best and trying to support his allies as fully as he could. The difficulty was, of course, that the spheres were separate. Just so it is in our Government commercial organization. Different bodies, composed of able and earnest men, function separately on commercial subjects at home and abroad, without mutual plan, without frequent consultation, and often in entire ignorance of what the others are doing. The War Finance Corporation is given authority to furnish credits to the extent of a billion dollars “ in order to promote commerce with foreign nations. ” There is no doubt this function will be performed by them wisely and well, so far as the law permits; but there is no obligation to coordinate their work with that of the Department of Commerce, although this last is charged to “ foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic com merce” of the country. The management of the War Finance Corporation has shown marked courtesy to the Department of Commerce, but there exists no close cooperation. The Federal Reserve Board admirably performs a function of vital importance to our commerce and finance. One can only speak of it in terms of approval and admiration, but, so far as the Department of Commerce is concerned, it functions separately, without obligation of either consultation or of cooperation. The Interstate Commerce Commission performs functions of high value in our domestic and foreign commercial life; but it performs them as a separate organization. It probably does not occur to the distinguished members of that useful body to either consult or cooperate with the Department of Commerce, or that the latter has any interests or functions in common with it. The Shipping Board provides for the carrying of our commerce to the ends of the earth and, through its officers and representa tives abroad, takes an important, if not a vital, part in our com 204 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. mercial activity, but the Department of Commerce is not repre sented upon the Shipping Board and, except as a matter of courtesy, can not influence or guide it. The Federal Trade Commission has duties of high importance vitally affecting our domestic and our foreign trade; but no rep resentative of the Department of Commerce forms a portion of that body, nor is there existing any obligation for that commission to function in close relation with the Department of Commerce. 'the International High Commission, of which the Secretary of the Treasury is the ex officio chairman, is a composite body representing the United States and the other American Repub lics. It has distinctly commercial functions, among them the provision of unifoim regulations for commercial travelers, of uniform arrangements for the classification of merchandise, for customs regulations, for consular certificates and invoices, and for port charges. It gives special consideration to the protection of patents and trade-marks and deals with the extension of arbi tration for adjusting commercial disputes. It is a useful and dig nified body, whose work touches closely that of the Department of Commerce. It is in no respect inharmonious, but it is separate. The Department of Commerce has no legal relation to it. A list of its publications is found upon page 59 of the Hearings Before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Sixtyfifth Congress, third session, on the diplomatic and consular service appropriation bill, under date of December n , 1918. The Railroad Administration, through its power to embargo freights, to grant or remove export rates, may at times exercise a controlling power over both our domestic and foreign commerce; but it has under the law no relation to the Department of Com merce and, save as a matter of courtesy, does not assume that there is any joint field of endeavor. The Department of State, for reasons admitted by all to be good and sufficient, maintains foreign-trade advisers and a force for the purpose of gathering foreign-trade information. The relation between that department, especially through its Consular Service and the foreign-trade advisers and the Department of Commerce, is intimate and cordial. It has been a privilege to express admiration for the fine and fruitful work of the Consular Service. There is a “ no man’s land” wherein the diplomatic field runs parallel with the commercial and the commercial field touches closely upon the diplomatic. It will probably always REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 205 be necessary to maintain a species of joint endeavor between the two departments. The Department of Agriculture, through several services, assists or supervises large commercial transactions at home and abroad, and does so ably and with advantage to the country. Again, let it be emphasized that the relations between these various bodies are not frictional, but cordial. The men com prising the various groups are friends. They realize they are working to a common end. I repeat, the question is not one of individuals, but one of organization. There can be no clear-cut commercial policy carried out by separate bodies in the commer cial field that do not interfunction. Any industrial organization composed as is the commercial organization of the Government would fail, for the seeds of decay are planted in the very separate ness of the component parts. It is not urged that these bodies should cease to be or that their functions should be altered. There are separate duties belonging to each, although many of those duties lie in a common field with the Department of Com merce. It is, however, strongly urged that each and every one of these separate services should be linked formally to that Department which alone the law charges with the duty to “ foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce ” of the country. Is there sound reason why there should not be a representative of the Department of Commerce upon the War Finance Cor poration, upon the Federal Reserve Board, upon the Federal Trade Commission, upon the Shipping Board, upon the Inter state Commerce Commission, or upon the Railroad Administra tion? If such reason exists, what is it? On the other hand, is it the public purpose and intent that the Department charged to “ foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic com merce” of the country should do it only in part, subject to the kindly and unintentional, but nevertheless real, competition and control of others charged with different duties, indeed, but so acting as in some measure to perform or to control the perform ance of this work? Very clearly either the Department of Commerce should be so organized as to perform its important function effectively or it should not. If it should not do so, then the organic law dic tating its functions should be modified, and it should cease to be in name what it is hardly in fact, the Department of Com 2o 6 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. merce. Or, on the other hand, it should be recognized that it is really the center of commercial organization on the part of the Government, and as such these various independent bodies should so be headed up into it that the world of commerce and the business man may know there is one head for commerce as there is one for agriculture, as there is one for war, as there is is one for the Navy, and not a congeries of unrelated parts which operate, indeed, in personal harmony and peace, but without those effective results which alone can come from systematic and unified effort. The foregoing report is respectfully commended to your at tention and to that of Congress. Respectfully, W illiam C. R edfield , Secretary. APPENDIXES. Appendix A.—VESSELS FOR THE UNITED STATES LIGHT HOUSE SERVICE—URGENT NECESSITY FOR REPLACE MENT OF VESSELS WORN OUT AND DESTROYED. Services Performed by Lighthouse V essels. In the operation of this the most extensive lighthouse service in the world, covering 47,300 miles of general coast line and rivers, there are at present employed 117 vessels, of which 54 are tenders and 63 are light vessels. The tenders serve both as supply ships and buoy tenders, carrying supplies and personnel to lighthouses and lightships, placing and caring for buoys, and doing construction, repair, and inspection work. They are the arteries of the Service, and maintain a continuous patrol of the entire coast of the United States. If any thing is amiss with lightship, lighthouse, or buoy, they are promptly dispatched in aid, and very frequently succor other vessels or persons or property' in danger. The light vessels are floating lighthouses, located in the most important positions for safeguarding shipping. Many of them are on very exposed and hazardous stations off our coasts. Equipped with distinctive lights, powerful fog signals, submarine bells, and radio communication, and guarding the dangerous points of the coast and the approaches to the great harbors, they are the most indispensable of the aids to navigation. No vessels are exposed to more severe usage than the vessels of the Lighthouse Service; the tenders arc continuously in service, and handle buoys of great weight in proportion to the size of the vessel, as well as quantities of coal and other supplies. In working buoys the tenders must navigate close to the edge of reefs and shoals, and in waters which other vessels shun. Furthermore, the light vessels must remain at anchor in exposed positions during the most severe gales and hurricanes. The handling of buoys and supplies must often be done in a seaway, under difficult or dangerous conditions. Relation to Other Government Activities. The United States is investing largely in shipping. The total amount authorized or appropriated by Congress for the Emergency Fleet Corporation to October 15, 1918, was $3,671,000,000, covering the purchase and construction of over 3,100 vessels, or more than double the number of seagoing merchant vessels of the United States at the beginning of the war. The expenditures of the Navy Department for the construction of new vessels for the fiscal year 1918 were about $450,000,000. The expenditures for vessels for the Lighthouse Service should be considered as one of the relatively small items of insurance for this great investment of the Government in shipping, as well as for all the privately owned shipping of this country and the shipping of other countries which visits our shores. The United States expends about $40,000,000 a year in river and harbor improvements. The maintenance of the aids to navigation is indispensable if these improvements are to obtain their maximum usefulness. Present Condition of Vessels and N ecessity for Upkeep. Under normal conditions the useful life of a lighthouse tender is about 25 years and of a light vessel about 30 years. The average age at present of the vessels of the Lighthouse Service is for tenders 22 years and for light vessels 28 years, and for 207 2 o 8 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. each class this average age has increased by 3 years since 1914, owing to lack of replacement of vessels. Of the light vessels now in use 20 are more than 30 years old and of the tenders 17 are more than 25 years old. Some of the light vessels are over 50 years old. To maintain 54 tenders and 63 light vessels of a useful age it is evident that on an average 2 tenders and 2 light vessels must be built each year, and the recommendations and estimates submitted have yearly emphasized this fact. In the 9 years since 1910, however, but 11 tenders and 7 light vessels have been built, a total of 18, or less than half the number of replacements necessary to maintain the Service on its former basis, without allowing for any increase. However, since 1910 the number of aids to navigation maintained by this Service has increased from 11,660 to about 16,073, a total increase of 4,415, or 38 per cent, and 3 new districts— Alaska, Porto Rico, and Hawaii— have been added; also the number of gas buoys maintained has increased from 225 to about 600, and the number of automatic gas shore lights has increased from 117 to about 600. All of these increases, and particularly the gas buoys and automatic shore lights, have added greatly to the work of the tenders; so that notwithstanding important economies in tender service that were effected at the reorganization in 1910, the present number of tenders, even if they were efficient modem vessels, has become inadequate to maintain the Service as required in the interest of navigation. Many of the present tenders are, moreover, of a type not suitable to perform efficiently the work required (4 of them are side-wheel vessels built 36 or more years ago) and were not designed to handle the heavy gas buoys which have been developed since tney were built. Some of them are not sufficiently seawortny to be sent on outside work on account of their age, and a great deal of time is lost in making the frequently needed repairs. Many of the present lightships are not suitable to be placed on ex posed stations. The cost of repairs and overhaul becomes so heavy that it is not economical to keep in commission vessels after they have reached a reasonable limit of usefulness. The continued use of these old vessels often results in a greatly dimin ished output with the same or greater cost of operation and upkeep. Of more im portance than the question of efficient and economical operation, however, is that of safeguarding life. Both lighthouse tenders and lightships are engaged on haz ardous duty, and their officers and crews should not be required to serve on vessels which have passed a reasonable limit of usefulness, nor can the Lighthouse Service properly perform its part in the safeguarding of life and property on the navigable waters of this country without necessary vessel equipment. Recent Conditions Affecting V essels. The deficiency of vessels in the Lighthouse Service has been accentuated by an unusual number of casualties in the last year and a half. Since January, 1918, Diamond Shoal light vessel has been sunk on station by a German submarine, Cornfield Point light vessel has been run into by a barge and sunk on station, Cross Rip light vessel has been destroyed by the ice, Thirty-Five Foot Channel light vessel has been de stroyed by fire at a contractor’s dock, and Bush Bluff light vessel and the tender Gardenia have been condemned as worn-out and not worth repair. All the tenders of the Lighthouse Service, except one, were by your order placed on duty with the Navy Department during the period of the war, and from April, 1917, to July, 1919, have been performing various duties for that department in addition to their regular lighthouse work. Some of this naval duty, such as the handling of pro tection nets, has been strenuous work for these vessels. As a result of this, as well as the shortage of tenders and the difficulty of effecting repairs under war conditions, there has been an unusual deterioration of vessels. Experience of the last two years has proven that the lighthouse vessels are of especial value in time of national emer gency. This is an additional reason for the proper maintenance of these vessels. The REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 209 tenders are the best available type of small vessels for handling moorings, nets, etc., and the light vessels are valuable signal stations at strategic points off the coast. No appropriations for lighthouse vessels have been made since the act of June 12, 1917, or for more than two years. Of the appropriations made at that time, that of $150,000 for a tender for the third district has been impracticable to use, as the lowest bid received for the vessel was $333,800, and, on readvertising, $357,250, not including equipping the vessel. The appropriation of $150,000 intended for two small light vessels for the Great Lakes was barely sufficient to contract for one such vessel. Pres ent conditions in the shipbuilding industry render it impossible to use several appro priations or balances of appropriations, as they are quite insufficient under present shipbuilding costs. Under the appropriation of June 12, 1917, of $130,000 for a light vessel, recent bids were $297,000, $396,700, and $496,000 for the vessel, without outfit. Due to war conditions and insufficiency of appropriations, no new contracts for lighthouse.tenders have been made since September, 1915, and since June, 1916, only one light vessel has been contracted for. Very thorough investigation has been made as to the possibility of obtaining vessels suitable for work of the Lighthouse Service from the Shipping Board or from vessels no longer needed by the Navy. It was found that the Shipping Board had no vessels in any way suitable. From the Navy two small vessels have been transferred which will be used for shoal-water tender work, but will be of but limited usefulness. Both lighthouse tenders and light vessels are vessels of unusual requirements, and it is impracticable to meet the special needs of this work by adapting vessels built for other purposes. Essential Program for Maintenance of V essels for Lighthouse Service. From careful estimates and examinations as to the condition and further service ability of vessels of the Lighthouse Service, it is found that within the next five years 18 light vessels and 10 tenders, as shown in the following list, should be replaced with vessels of the types indicated, and 1 light vessel should be built for new station. As it will require under favorable conditions from two to three years after appropriation is made before vessels are available for service, funds should be provided now for 17 of these vessels urgently needed, in addition to 3 vessels for which estimates have been heretofore submitted, 2 to be built under the authorization of June 20, 19x8, and 1 to replace Diamond Shoal light vessel. Tlie vessels for which appropriation should be made now are the following, with estimated cost: To replace Diamond Shoal light vessel. Light vessel to replace No. 71, Diamond Shoal, fifth district, class 1. Estimated cost. . “ $450,001 To be built under authorization of June 20, IQ18. Tender to replace Jessamine, fifth district, class B ........................................ Tender to replace Gardenia, third district, class B ......................................... 400,000 400, 000 Total......................................................................................................... b goo, 000 Additional vessels, authorization of which is now necessary. Light vessel for Bamegat, N. J. (new' station), class 2................................... Light vessel to replace No. 57, relief, third district, class 2 .......................... Tender to replace John Rodgers, third district, class B .................................. Tender to replace Holly, fifth district, class B ............................................... Tender to replace Mistletoe, third district, class B ......................................... 335, 000 335,000 400,000 400, 000 400, coo a Covered b y pending deficiency bill. 140261— 19— 14 & Covered b y pending deficiency b ill in am ount ol $760,000. 210 R EP O R T OF T H E SE C R E T A R Y OF COM M ERCE. Light vessel to replace No. 43, relief, eighth district, class 2........................ $335, °°° Light vessel to replace No. 20, Cross Rip, Mass., second district, class 2 ... 335,000 Light vessel to replace No. 3, Handkerchief, Mass., second district, class 2 335, 000 Tender to replace Goldenrod, fourteenth district, river.................................. 100, 000 Light vessel to replace No. 11, Scotland, N. J., third district, class 2 ......... 335,000 Light vessel to replace No. 44, Northeast End, N. J., third district, class 2.. 335, 000 Light vessel to replace No. 68, Fire Island, N. Y ., third district, class 2. . . . 335, 000 335,000 Light vessel to replace No. 6g, Overfalls, Del., third district, class 2.......... Light vessel to replace No. 46, Tail of Horseshoe, Va., fifth district, class 2. 335,000 Light vessel to replace No. ¡6, North Manitou, Mich., twelfth district, class 3................................................................................................................ 160,000 Light vessel to replace No. 57, Grays Reef, Mich., twelfth district, class 3 .. 160,000 Light vessel, to replace No. 60, Eleven-Foot Shoal, Mich., twelfth district, class 3................................................................................................................ 160,000 Total......................................................................................................... 5,130,000 On May 13, 1919, in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in con nection with legislation affecting the Lighthouse Service, this Department requested that a provision be included authorizing the “ Constructing or purchasing and equip ping lighthouse tenders and light vessels for the Lighthouse Service, $5,000,000.” This, with the estimates pending, would provide for the above immediate necessities. The large number of new vessels required now is directly due to the conditions of recent years, which have prevented replacement of vessels in this Service at a proper rate. The situation is not unprecedented, however, for in the sundry civil act of March 4, 1907, appropriations were made for building or completing 21 light vessels and tenders, and an amount of $2,180,000 was included for vessels; for 10 of these vessels there had also been previous appropriations. The building of vessels for this Service should not be deferred on account of present shipbuilding costs. The expense will undoubtedly be higher than the costs a few years back, but there is no likelihood of any early reduction in shipbuilding costs. This replacement of vessels has already been so repeatedly deferred on account of war conditions that the fleet of this Service is in a seriously depreciated condition, which can not safely be permitted to continue. The costs of these vessels on a ton nage basis will be higher than costs announced by the Shipping Board for building fabricated ships for the following reasons: The lighthouse vessels are small, are of a special type, will be built in small numbers, and must be unusually stanch for their size; also, the Shipping Board per ton price does not include investment charges and depreciation of plant, which every contractor must include in bidding on work. The Lighthouse Service can, however, undoubtedly obtain more favorable bids by constructing, as is proposed, several vessels of one type at one time. The following are some comparisons as to the costs of vessels of small size and special types, some what comparable with the required vessels for the Lighthouse Service. In January, 1919, the Coast Guard contracted for building five cutters, at $687,000 each; these vessels are of 1.200 tons construction weight, or will cost $572 per ton. The tender Cedar, completed in 1917, according to sworn statements of the contractors, cost $448 per ton construction weight to build; since 1917 there has been material increase in cost of shipbuilding. The lowest bids, received within the past year, were $565 per ton for the tender Oak, and $539 per ton for a vessel for the Coast Survey. The recent contract price for steel barges for the upper Mississippi River was at $401 per ton; these barges are of much simpler construction than seagoing vessels. The above comparisons are on the basis of construction weight, actual weight of vessel without supplies or load. R E P O R T O P TH E S E C R E T A R Y O F COM M ERCE. 211 List of lighthouse vessels requiring replacement within the next five years (not allowingfor any losses of vessels). V e s s e l. Age R em ark s. R e p la c e b y — N e c e s s a r y t o b u i ld . LIGHT VESSELS. Y rr N o . 71— D ia m o n d S h o a l . C la s s 2, l ig h t v e s s e l. 28 38 D o. D o. D o. 66 D o. D o. D o. D o. D o. 28 28 D o. N o . 60— E l e v e n - F o o t D o. S h o a l. 18 28 L . V . N o . 73 . . 44 I ,. V . N o . 69 . . . D o. TENDERS. 38 D o. D o. 36 H o l l y .......................................... 38 D o. D o. 47 ......... d o ................................ Additional vessels required for new station. Light vessel, Barnegat, N. J.................................................................................. Class j Tender for Alaska.................................................................................................... Class B General types of vessels proposed. V e s s e l. L e n g th . C o n s t r u c t io n w e i g h t a n d c o s t. E s t im a t e d c o s t. LIGHT VESSELS. F eet. C la s s 1. m o s t e x p o s e d s t a t i o n s ...................................................... 147 61 s t o n s , a t $650 p e r t o n . . . &400-000 C la s s 2, e x p o s e d s t a t i o n s ................................................................... i 3S 515 t o n s , a t $650 j>cr t o n ----- 335.000 96 240 t o n s , a t $650 j>er t o n . . . 160,000 C la s s 3, G r e a t L a k e s s t a t i o n s ......................................................... TEN DERS- C la s s A , s e a g o in g .................................................................................... 190 i .o o o t o n s , a t $650 p e r t o n . . 650,000 C la s s B , c o a s t w i s e ................................................................................. 170 620 t o n s , a t $650 p e r t o n . . . 400,000 C la s s s p e c ia l, in l a n d r i v e r s .............................................................. 150 3 50 t o n s , a t $400 p e r t o n . . . 100,000 Appendix B.—THE DOGFISH CAMPAIGN AND CONTRO VERSY, AND THE INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF FOOD FISHES. There is widespread interest in the dogfishes, their ravages, and the measures proposed for their amelioration, and there has been much misconception and mis statement regarding the relations of the Department of Commerce to the movement for combating the dogfish nuisance by making commercial utilization of these fishes. It therefore seems desirable that a full statement on this subject should be made, particularly in view of recent criticism in Congress in which the dogfish campaign was associated with another wholly unrelated activity of the Department and was used in a misleading argument for defeating a meritorious service hitherto success fully executed for the purpose of increasing the consumption of aquatic products, adding to the food supply, and reducing food costs. For many years the fishermen of the New England coast have complained of their serious losses from the destruction wrought by dogfishes, two species of small sharks which appear in the coastal waters in large schools during the summer. A related species, with similar habits, is the subject of like complaint on the Pacific coast. Measures intended for the relief of the fishermen from this serious trouble, embodying in one form or another the payment of a bounty, have been considered by Congress. On May 2, 1913, Hon. Asher Hinds, of Maine, introduced in the House of Represent atives the following bill (H. R. 4584, 63d Cong., 1st scss.): A B i l l T o p r o t e c t o u r n a t io n a l fo o d s u p p l y b y t h e e x t e r m in a t io n o f c e r ta in e n e m ie s o f fo o d f is h e s o f t h e A t l a n t i c c o a s t. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Stales of America in Congress assembled, That a Federal bounty of not less than 2 cents shall be paid by the United States for each dogfish or dogfish shark caught and exterminated by citizens or fishermen of the United States in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean between Cape Hatteras and Eastport, Maine, by the delivery of the tail section only of said dogfish or dogfish shark to such vessels, works, or places as may be designated, which shall be paid for on delivery to the United States Government authorities, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Commerce. S e c . 2. That the Department of Commerce shall annually, in the estimates made to the Congress of the United States of the sums required or deemed necessary to be raised for its department, recommend such a sum to carry out the provisions of this bill as it deems requisite to accomplish the purpose herein intended, and which shall include all sums necessary for carrying out completely the objects herein sought, the extermination of said dogfish. S ec . 3. That this Act shall go into effect on its passage. A t the request of the chairman of the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, the Department made the following report of its views on this bill in a letter from the Acting Secretary to the chairman of the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, dated April 21, 1914: In reply to your letter of April 15 enclosing a copy of H. R. 4584, “ To protect our national food supply by the extermination of certain enemies of the food fishes of the Atlantic coast,” you are advised that the Department believes that the principle involved in the proposed legislation is inimical to the public interest. If the practice of paying bounties for the destruction of the enemies of food fishes is begun it will eventually develop into a burden on the Nation. It will be but a question of time when the demand will arise for bounties on star-fishes, drills, and druinfishes which destroy great quantities of oysters, on the dogfish of the Great Lakes and the garfishes of the same waters and the Mississippi Valley, and a host of other aquatic animals concerning which more valid pleas can be raised than in respect to the dog shark. 213 214 REPO R T OF T H E SE C R E T A R Y OF COM M ERCE. The Department docs not believe that the latter is as destructive to food fishes as is generally supposed, although it is a great nuisance and a source of loss to the fisher men. Both of the common species are principally bottom feeders, and the fragments of food fishes found in them are generally bafts stolen from the lines or fish eaten from the nets. There is even no support for the reiterated statement that the species found on the Maine coast is destructive to lobsters, the quotations to that effect attributed to the publications of the Bureau of Fisheries applying to the southern species. The Bureau of Fisheries estimates that about 2,700,000 dogfish were taken in the fisheries on Georges Bank, South Channel, and Nantucket Shoals alone in 1913, which would require the payment of $54,000 in bounties under the provisions of this bill in addition to the costs of administration. It is believed that $500,000 annually would be required to give effect to the proposed legislation. Moreover, there would be no way by which the Department could assure itself that the dogfish tails on which boun ties were claimed were from fish taken within the limits prescribed in the bill and undoubtedly there would arise a lucrative business of importing dogfish tails from other parts of the coast. I recommend an adverse report on this bill. On May 9, 1913, Hon. Charles F. Johnson, of Maine, introduced in the Senate the following bill (S. 1868, 63d Cong., 1st sess.): A B i l l T o p r e s e r v e o u r n a t io n a l se a -fo o d s u p p l ie s a n d r e s e r v e a n d t o a s s is t in f e r t i li z in g t h e la n d t o b e t t e r t h e c o n d it io n s of o u r fa n n e r s , o u r f is h e r m e n , a n d u lt i m a t e c o n s u m e r s o f fo o d b y F e d e r a l f e r t i li z e r u t i l i z a t io n of s m a ll s h a r k s , c a lle d d o a fis h , a ls o s e v e r a l s p e c ie s o f u n u t il iz e d s a lt - w a t e r fis h e s , a l l p r e y in g u p o n a n d d e stro y in g ^ o u r n a t io n a l s e a a n d s h o r e fis h e r ie s , o f e n o r m o u s c o m m e r c ia l a n d e c o n o m ic v a l u e , a s p l a i n l y s h o w n in a n d b y t h e U n it e d S t a t e s B u r e a u o f F is h e r ie s D o c u m e n t n u m b e r e d S i x h u n d r e d a n d t w e n t y - t w o , d a t e d n in e te e n h u n d r e d a n d s e v e n . Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Stales of America in Congress assembled, That a Federal bounty of not less than 2 cents each, or a pur chase price of not less than $8 per ton of two thousand pounds, shall be paid to the American fishermen from Eastport, Maine, to Cape Hatteras for the labor and ex pense attending the catching of and delivery of the entire carcasses of the said small sharks, called Dogfish, to the proper Federal authorities at Federal dogfish and shark reduction works, when and where established between said places upon the Atlantic coast, or to such Federal collecting vessels as may be designated by the proper Fed eral authorities. The said purchase price of not less than $8 per ton shall also be paid to American fishermen for all said sharks, skates, and other shark species delivered by said fisher men to said dogfish and shark reduction works, or delivered to said Federal collecting vessels as may be designated by the proper Federal authorities. Sue. 2. That by and under the authority of the proper Federal authorities not less than twenty-five to one hundred of said Federal dogfish and shark reduction works, with a daily reduction capacity of not less than fifty tons dogfish or sharks, shall be located, built, equipped, and operated at the most suitable and efficient points from Eastport, Maine, to Cape Hatteras, as efficient or more efficient than those of Canada, built since nineteen hundred and tlirec, including one of said reduction works lo cated, built, equipped, and operated at or near Eastport, Maine; one of said reduc tion works at or near Cutler, Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Jonesport, Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Milbridge, Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Stonington, Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Vinal Haven, Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Boothbay, Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Elm Island, near Orrs Island, Maine; one of said reduc tion works at or near Bangs or Stave Island, Casco Bay, Maine; one of said re duction works at or near Woods Island, Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Cape Porpoise. Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Portsmouth, New Hampshire; one of said reduction works at or near Monhegan Island, Maine; one of said reduction works at or near Newburyport, Massachusetts: one of said reduction svorks at or near Gloucester, Massachusetts; one of said reduction works in or near Boston Bay, Massachusetts; one of said reduction works at or near Cape Cod, Massa chusetts; one of said reduction works at or near Woods Hole, Massachusetts; and at such other places southward on the Atlantic coast as may be designated by the proper Federal authorities between Eastport, Maine, and Cape Hatteras. S ec . 3. That regular annual sums of money sufficient shall be appropriated to operate and maintain efficiently all the said dogfish and shark reduction works that are located, built, equipped, and operated at all places between Eastport, Maine, and Cape Hatteras, and the said sums of money shall be sufficiently large to pay the said American fishermen not less than 2 cents Federal bounty on each said dogfish caught and delivered to said described Federal authorities in said manner, and to REPO R T OF T H E SE C R E T A R Y OF COM M ERCE. 215 pay said fishermen not less than $8 per ton purchase price for all sand sharks, skates, and other shark species, including the dogfish, delivered to said Federal authorities in manner herein described. S e c . 4. That the said sums of money so appropriated shall be sufficiently large to pay the said fishermen not less than 2 cents Federal bounty on each dogfish and upon the basis of the probable delivery of one million dogfish or more annually at each said Federal dogfish and shark reduction works. S e c . 5. That the said Federal reduction works shall be manned ready for opera tion when located, equipped, and built for a period of time not less than from June first to November first annually. SEC. 6. That all dogfish or shark fertilizers produced at said Federal reduction works shall be sold only and direct to the bona fide farmers and planters of the United States, and said fertilizer shall contain no filling or make weight of nonfertilizer materials, and the price of said fertilizers shall be only the gross cost of pro duction of said fertilizers, and the said fertilizers shall be bagged and the analysis of said fertilizer in said bags shall be plainly stamped thereon, showing the particular nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and bone phosphate contents in any form, in pounds and percentage; likewise of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, or bone phosphate; and all orders for said fertilizers from bona fide farmers and planters received by the said proper Federal authorities shall be filled and shipped in regular order of receipt. S e c . 7. That all rules, regulations, estimates, and expenditures, necessary con cerning the locating, building, equipping, and operating of the Federal dogfish and shark reduction works, and disposition of said fertilizer, oil, and other by-products derived from the reduction of said dogfish or other sharks or unutilized fishes, shall be made by or under the direction of such proper Federal authorities as may be de termined b y Congress and the President of the United States, but all said rules and regulations shall not be in conflict with the provisions of this Act. S e c . 8. That this Act of Congress shall go into effect from the date of its passage and as herein specified. In response to a request for an expression of opinion on this bill, the following report was made by the Department in a letter from the Acting Secretary to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Fisheries, dated October 24, 1913: The Department is in receipt of your letter of the 20U1 instant, transmitting a copy of Senate bill 186S, providing for the purchase of dogfish by the federal government, or the payment of a bounty thereon. The Department has for some time been accumulating information on the entire subject of dogfish and their utilization, in the expectation that there would be a hearing before the appropriate committees of Congress. The question is so large and has so many features that it could not well be discussed within the limits of an official letter. 1 therefore venture to express the hope that your committee will hold a hearing on this bill at some convenient time and give the Department an opportunity to present its views in regard to the merits of this bill and of similar bills which have from time to time been introduced in Congress. No definite action appears to have been taken on either of these bills; and, urged by the fishery interests, particularly of Maine, Mr. Hinds, acting on behalf of the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, requested the Commissioner of Fisheries to draft a bill which would meet the practical requirements and have some prospect of passage. Accordingly the following bill (H. R. 16477, 63d Cong., 2d sess.) was prepared and submitted by Mr. Hinds on May 12, 1914, and favorably reported by the. House Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries on June 8, 1914, with an amendment providing “ that the said sum [to be appropriated by authority of sec. 3I shall not exceed $15,000 in any fiscal year” : A B i l l T o c o n d u c t in v e s t ig a t i o n s a n d e x p e r i m e n t s fo r a m e li o r a t in g t h e d a m a g e w r o u g h t t o t h e fis h e r ie s b y p r e d a c e o u s fis h e s a n d a q u a t i c a n im a ls . Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Stales of America in Congress assembled, That the Commissioner of Fisheries be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to conduct investigations and experiments for the purpose of ameliorating the damage wrought to the fisheries by dogfish and other predaceous fishes and aquatic animals. S e c . 2. That the said investigations and experiments shall be such as to develop the best and cheapest means of taking such fishes and aquatic animals, of utilizing them for economic purposes, especially for food, and to establish fisheries and markets 2 IÓ REPO R T O F TH E S E C R E T A R Y OF COMMERCE. for them; and for these purposes the Commissioner of Fisheries is authorized to employ such persons as mav be necessary, and to catch, buy, or otherwise obtain, and to sell at cost or less or distribute gratuitously such quantities of the said aquatic products as may be necessary for tests or demonstrations of their qualities or the establishment of a demand among prospective consumers: Provided. That the proceeds of any such sales shall be accounted for and covered into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts. S ec . 3. That the Commissioner of Fisheries, through the Secretary of Commerce, shall submit in his annual estimates of appropriations for the Bureau of Fisheries an estimate of the sum of money necessary to give effect to this Act. This bill was amended on the floor of the House of Representatives by the elimina tion of section 2 and by the reduction to $5,000 of the annual appropriation authorized, and was passed on February 3, 1915. Objectionable features of this bill, from the standpoint of tile Bureau of Fisheries, were set forlh in the following letter from the Commissioner of Fisheries to me, dated February' 5, 1915: I desire to call to your attention certain facts relating to H. R. 16477, which was amended and passed by the House of Representatives on February 3. The bill was prepared by this Bureau at the request of Representative Hinds, its proponent, and as a step towards a practical solution of the problem presented by the damage to the fisheries by' predaceous fishes, and particularly the dogfish. As you will recall, various bills having for their purpose the destruction of dogfishes have been introduced in Congress, but all of them have received adverse reports from the Department on account of their economic and scientific defects and their manifest inadequacy to accomplish their avowed purposes. I am convinced that the destruction of any quantity of dogfishes, sufficient to materially reduce their destructiveness, is chimerical, and that the only rational thing to do is to convert them to usefulness, and a source of profit instead of loss, by bringing them into consumption as food. This can not be accomplished by mere investigation and experiment, and the bare publication of the results. It will require in addition an active practical campaign in introducing and marketing the products and bringing them to the consumer’s actual physical attention and test, in other words, an elaboration and extension of the methods which were employed in intro ducing the sea mussel. I am of the opinion that in the sea mussel propaganda the bureau’s discretion in the expenditure of its appropriation was stretched to its limit, and I should not care to be responsible for an elaboration of that kind of work unless given additional authority, the character of which is indicated in section 2, of H. R. 16477, a copy of which is inclosed. The amendments which the bill suffered were the total elimination of section 2 and, a comparatively minor matter, the reduction of the permissible appropriation to $5,000 in any fiscal year. The emasculated bill leaves the bureau with no more powers than it already possessed, and is, therefore, wholly futile and unnecessary, while on the other hand it places a limit, not previously imposed, on the appropria tion for which an estimate may' be submitted. Unless section 2, or an essentially similar provision, can be supplied as a Senate amend ment and retained in the bill in conference, it will be worse than useless to pass it. This proposed legislation rested without further action by the Sixty-third Congress. The Legislature of the State of Maine had authorized the appointment of a com mission for investigating the dogfish nuisance, and that body pressed the Maine delegation in Congress for action toward the abatement of the trouble by establishing Government reduction works and paying bounties along the lines provided in above bills. Senator Johnson and Mr. Hinds, therefore, again submitted bills identical in terms with H. R. 16477, Sixty-third Congress, second session, excepting that the animal appropriation authorized was increased to $25,000. The House Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries reported the bill (H. R. 11254, 64th Cong., 1st sess.) favorably, after hearings at which representatives of the Bureau of Fisheries, this department, the Maine Dogfish Commission, and others interested expressed their views. The report submitted by this committee was as follows: R EP O R T O F T H E S E C R E T A R Y OF COM M ERCE. 217 PREDACIOUS FISHES AND AQUATIC ANIMALS. M arch 8, 19 16 .— C o m m i t t e d t o t h e C o m m i t t e e o i t h e W h o l e H o u s e o n t h e s t a t e of t h e U n io n a n d o r d e r e d t o b e p r in t e d . [M r. H i n d s , f r o m t h e C o m m i t t e e o n t h e M e r c h a n t M a r in e a n d F is h e r ie s , s u b m it t e d t h e f o llo w i n g r e p o r t ( to a c c o m p a n y H . R . 11254).] The Committee on the Merchant Marine' and Fisheries, having had under considera tion the bill (H. R. 11254) to conduct investigations and experiments for ameliorating the damage wrought to the fisheries by predacious fishes and aquatic animals, report the same back with the recommendation that the bill do pass. For 15 years at least and perhaps much longer, this committee has had referred to it bills dealing with the so-called dogfish nuisance. At first it was proposed to offer a bounty for dogfish, and afterwards to use them for fertilizer; but it was not until the Sixty-third Congress that the committee formidated a definite proposition with the concurrence of the Commissioner of Fisheries, and in that Congress a bill was reported and passed the House but was not considered in the Senate. Meanwhile the Maine Legislature had taken the matter into consideration and a commission was appointed to go to Washington and make known the extent to which the fisheries are being interfered with. One of the Maine commissioners has met the Secretary of Commerce, and the following correspondence shows the importance of this subject; " D epartm ent of C om m erce , " O ffice of the S e c r e t a r y , “ Washington, February g, 1916. “ M y D e a r J udge A l e x a n d e r ; The inclosed copy of letter to Mr. Luther Maddocks regarding the dogfish will explain itself. “ Yours, very truly, “ William C. R ed FIELd , Secretary. “ Hon. J. W. A l e x a n d e r , “ House of Representatives, Washington, D. C .” “ D epartment of C om m erce , “ O ffice of th e S e c r e t a r y , “ Washington, February 9, 1916. “ M y D ea r M r . M a d d o cks : In response to your request for information as to the methods proposed by the Bureau of Fisheries to deal with the dogfish problem, I beg to advise you as follows: “ We asked in the Sixty-third Congress authority to make a special study of this subject, including an appropriation of 815,000, with the view to determining whether the dogfish could be introduced as food and whether it had any other economic values that could be made available. The bill failed of passage in such form as to give us the requisite funds and authority. We have asked Senator Johnson to consider with the chairman of the House Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries the introduction of this measure at the present Congress with a view to an appropria tion of 820,000. If this bill shall pass we will undertake immediately upon its pas sage to put a force of trained experts upon the problem and to use all our powers toward its early and satisfactory solution. “ We are strongly hopeful that a demand would be created for the fish for use as several varieties of food and possibly for other purposes. In any event, we think the experiment should be thoroughly tried and shall be very glad to try it. I have assured Senator Johnson that I will appear before his committee or the House Com mittee on Fisheries and do anything in my power to get the thing started. “ We doubt the lawful power of the Government to enter into the fertilizer end of the matter and think it quite possible that the study we purpose to make, if given the authority and the funds, may be quite as efficacious, if not more so. “ Yours, very truly, “ W i l l ia m C. R e d F i e l d , Secretary. "M r. L uth er Madd o cks , “ St. James Hotel, Washington, D. C ." 2 l 8 R E P O R T fo F TH E S E C R E T A R Y OF COM M ERCE. “ D epartm ent op C om m erce , “ B u reau of F is h e r ie s , “ Washington, February iy, iq i 6. “ T he S olicitor , D epartm ent of C om m erce : “ In reply to your letter of February 14, requesting an, expression of opinion of House bill 11254, ‘ To conduct investigations and experiments for ameliorating the damage wrought to the fisheries by predacious fishes and aquatic animals,’ I report thereon as follows: “ This bill is intended primarily and immediately for the relief of the fishermen of the Atlantic coast, and eventually those of the Pacific coast, from the effects of the ruinous inroads of dogfishes. These are small sharks which congregate in schools, and there are two species common on the Atlantic coast, the spiny dogfish found north of Cape Cod and the smooth dogfish occurring in a more southerly habitat. These differ more or less in habits, but are alike in being great nuisances on account of their practice of eating baits and seizing the food fish caught on line and in nets. It is not believed by the bureau that the smooth dogfishes, at least, destroy very considerable numbers of free fish— that is, those whicn are uninjured or untrammeled by nets. The food of the smooth dogfish consists mainly of bottom animals, mussels, scallops, sea snails, crabs, starfishes, etc., and it also, unlike the spiny dogfish whose food is less known, in certain places and at certain seasons destroys considerable numbers of lobsters. The stomachs of both species often contain food fishes and frag ments of fishes, but there is good reason to believe that they come largely from lines and nets. “ The fishermen justly regard these small sharks with strong disfavor as sources of annoyance and of very considerable loss to the fisheries, and in many places fishing has to be abandoned when the dogfish appear. “ Three methods of meeting this situation have been proposed: (1) To offer a bounty for the destruction of the fish; (2) to establish a number of Governmentowned reduction works for their conversion into fertilizer and oil, paying for the fish in excess of their economic value in order to induce the fishermen to catch them; and (3) to endeavor to establish them in the markets as a food fish, using the liver, oil, eggs, and skins as economic by-products. “ The first two pro|>osals are predicated on the assumption that the dogfish can be exterminated or materially reduced in number, a belief to which the bureau can not subscribe. Both of the little sharks are found on the European and American coasts and they range over the greater part of the North Atlantic. They- are highly nomadic and a school on the coast one week may be far away the next and may never return. Their wanderings are so wide, their numbers so great, and the reservoir from which the coastal visitors may be drawn is so vast that it is futile to expect that catching them at even a considerable number of places along shore can have a material effect in reducing their numbers. “ If these fish could be utilized for fertilizer at even a small profit there would be justification for their use in that way, but the experience of the Canadian Govern ment. which operates three dogfish-reduction works, shows that they can be converted into fertilizer only at a heavy loss, and this experience is corroborated by this bureau’s investigations of the oil and fertilizer constituents of the fish. "Tlic proposition to pay a bounty-, without utilizing the fishes, is open to obvious objections. "W hile the bureau is opposed to these proposed measures on account of their impracticability and economic unsoundness, it is in sympathy with their purpose, and it believes that H. R . 11254, on which you now ask an opinion, affords an oppor tunity to attack the problems involved anil in the course of time to solve them in a manner to afford relief to the fishermen -and benefit to the people as a whole. The belief is entertained that the proper method of procedure is not to exterminate the dogfish bv indiscriminate destruction, but to convert a nuisance into an economically useful product and a source of profit. It is believed that the only way in which this can be accoinplished is to induce the utilization of this pest as food. Although this has been scoffed at by some who would be the first and principal beneficiaries, the project is practical and economically sound. The dogfish is not eaten in the United States solely on account of prejudice. It is palatable and nutritious, and its food is but little different from that of tne haddock and other valued food fishes. It is extensively eaten in Europe, and during the past few years it has grown in favor in England, where 5,000,000 pounds, with a value to the fishermen of $82,000 were marketed in 1914. This large and increasing production of a cheap and excellent food is a boon to the people at large, while the fishermen receive about $28 per ton for their catch as against $8 which they would receive if the Government were to engage in the unprofitable production of fertilizer under the conditions recently proposed in this country. R EP O R T O F T H E S E C R E T A R Y O F COMMERCE. 2 19 "T o introduce the dogfish or any other unutilized fish into consumption in the face of general prejudice and ignorance of its qualities, and the lukewarm interest of the fishermen themselves, will require time and a well-considered practical campaign. It will involve demonstrations and publicity to acquaint the people with the qualities of the fishes and the methods of cooking and preparing them and marketing experi ments on a commercial scale. H. R. 11254. appears to give authority for effective work of this character, and moreover it makes it possible to extend it not only to the dogfish, but to other marine pests of equal or greater destructiveness. The bureau regards the bill as a piece of valuable constructive legislation, and urges that it be given favorable consideration and passed. " I am inclosing a memorandum on the dogfishes which was submitted to a preceding session of Congress when a similar measure was under consideration. "H. M. S mith, Commissioner.” “ D epartm ent " O ffice op C om m erce , op the S olicitor , “ Washington, February 14, 1916. “ Hon. J. W. A l e x a n d e r , “ House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. “ M y D ear J udge A l e x a n d e r : I am in receipt of yours of the 12th instant, inclos ing H. R. 11254, ‘ to conduct investigations and experiments for ameliorating the damage wrought to the fisheries by predacious fishes and aquatic animals, ’ and asking my opinion with reference to the merits of the bill and the wisdom of enacting the same into law. The department approves this bill in every particular, and earnestly hopes that it will be enacted into law. I have forwarded your letter to the Commis sioner of Fisheries, asking him for a special report, and as soon as it is received I will forward it to you. “ Yours, very truly, “ A. L. T h u r m a n , Solicitor.” The Bureau of Fisheries has made a careful study of the dogfishes, and this inter esting subject is herewith attached to this report as a “ Memorandum respecting dogfishes” : “ The dogfishes are little sharks, weighing, when adult, from 5 to 15 pounds. They get their popular name from their habit of traveling in large schools or packs like dogs or wolves, and their chief present interest to the fishermen arises from their pre dacious habit and ravenous appetite. They feed solely on animal food, which they get wherever it is most readily obtainable, and on the fishing grounds this is usually on the trawl lines or in the nets of the fishermen. “ Trawl lines are long, stout lines to which shorter lines, each with a hook, arc attached at intervals of about 6 feet. They are stretched on the bottom, held in place by suitable anchors, and marked by buoys, and as a single dory or fishing boat will often fish several thousand hooks, each baited with a piece of herring, alewife, or other fish, the fishing banks are strewn with food which the dogfish finds acceptable and readily obtainable. When a school of dogfish appears, they greedily seize these baits and either carry them away or are themselves hooked, the result to the fisher men being essentially the same in either case, for the line, set for merchantable fish, is either denuded of its lures or is loaded with dogfish for which the fisherman can find no market. The address and rapacity of these pests is such that when they arc on the banks or along shore in large bodies the baits are seized before the valuable fish can take the hook, and the fisherman loses his time, the labor expended in setting and hauling his lines, the value of his bait, and all of the other items which enter into the expenses of the fishery. “ In the case of the gill-net fishery, the dogfishes are attracted by the helpless food fishes enmeshed in the nets, and they either tear them bodily away and devour them or bite them in two, leaving nothing but the head to show where a valuable fish had been. Worse than this in some respects is the damage wrought to the nets, the sharp teeth of the dogfish cutting them like shears and often leaving of the poor fisherman fs property little but a string of tatters attached to the foot and lead lines. “ Under these conditions the fisherman can do nothing to protect himself, and his only recourse to save his property and avoid an utter waste of effort is to abandon the fishery, often his only source of livelihood, until such time iis his enemy has departed. This is no rare occurrence, but a common one on all parts of the New England coast, over a wide stretch of the Pacific coast as well, and to some extent on the shores of the Middle Atlantic States. Even the purse seiner fishing at sea will sometimes 220 R E P O R T OF TH E SE C R E T A R Y OF COMMERCE. inadvertently inclose a school of dogfish and have his net cut and tom to pieces, the pound-net fisherman along shore will find his trap filled with dogfish to the exclu sion of fish of value, and lobster pots take dogfish instead of lobsters. “ The loss entailed by the destruction of gear and the enforced abandonment of the fisheries by all classes of fishermen over wide areas amounts to large sums annu ally. The Massachusetts Fish and Game Commission states that the observable damage to the fisheries of that State alone can be conservatively estimated at not less than $400,000 per year, and this loss to those immediately concerned must have its reflex in the increased cost of fish to the consumer. The effects of the dogfish nuisance, therefore, are not only observable over a considerable part of the imme diate coast line, but are indirectly distributed over the large section of the country depending on the sea for its supply of fish. Owing to the abundance of the dogfishes, their wide distribution, their remarkable swimming powers, and their wandering habits, which carry' them over broad expanses of the seas in which they live, it is probable that but little can be done toward the material reduction of their numbers. A school marauding on the coast one week may be far away the next and its place may be occupied by another host that has come from an unknown distance in the open sea. If they can not be exterminated, the only economic solution of the prob lem which they present is that they should be utilized and the curse of their presence converted into a blessing. This can be done only in accord with sound economic principles. A bounty, aside from other objectionable features, merely distributes the loss and can have no other effect. It acts like a system of fire insurance with no provision for preventing fires or minimizing their destructiveness. The loss still exists, but its burden is home by a large number of persons. “ Leaving out of consideration certain secondary or subsidiary uses, principally of waste parts, fishes are economically utilized for fertilizer and for food. For the first purpose they must be cheap as compared with other species which are abundant, in fairly regular supply, easily caught, and easily handled. If the dogfish be economi cally available for tire manufacture of fertilizer it will be utilized by factories privately owned and always on the watch for a supply of suitable and cheap raw material. There is no doubt that fertilizer of good quality can be produced from dogfish, the only questions being whether the fish can be obtained at a price low enough to show a profit on operations. If they can not be profitably used by private works there is no reason to suppose that they can be by those under Government control. “ The value of the fish will be governed competitively with other fishes and if the price be arbitrarily fixed too low the fishermen will not supply the fish, and if too high as in bills proposed for the establishment of Government reduction works, there will be an operating loss and the excess price of raw material will be in effect a bounty to the fishermen. "None but the cheapest fish will be used for fertilizer, and, considering the heavy wear and tear on gear involved in taking dogfish, it is doubtful if they can be taken profitably except for food, and that appears to be the only means by which they may be converted into ail economic product. That they are not at present eaten in the United States is no justification for the belief that they can not be introduced into the national diet. There are numerous instances of despised fishes and other aquatic animals attaining high favor after their qualities became known. Within a compara tively recent time the sturgeon, especially in the Great Lakes, was regarded as a nuisance and ruthlessly destroyed, but to-day a single large female fish may sell for as much as $150. The silver hake of the New England coast was formerly wholly unutilized, but is gradually coming into the markets; the catfishes are becoming high-priced fishes, and frogs are regarded as a delicacy, and the subject of frog farms is exciting interest as a source of profit, instances might be multiplied. “ The failure to eat dogfish in the United States appears to be due to prejudice against them rather than to any lack of nutritiousness of palatability. There are two species of dogfishes on the Atlantic coast, the spined or horned dogfish, which has the more northern range, and the smooth dogfish, which is generally more abundant south of pipe Cod. These differ somewhat in the character of their flesh, the spined species being more oily and resembling in composition the medium grades of salmon. This fish is well suited for canning.' The smooth dogfish is drier and when used fresh its flavor and qualities have been likened to those of halibut and swordfish. Neither of these fish lias objectionable or unclean feeding habits, one feeding on organisms similar to icily fishes and possibly on true fishes, and the other on crabs, starfish, and other bottom-dwelling animals. Both, so far as food is concerned, resemble other fishes highly esteemed on the table. Their flesh is white, and in external appearance they are not repulsive; their skins secrete little mucus and they never look slimy, like cod and haddock, when massed in the holds of vessels. They are eaten exten sively in various parts of Europe. In Norway and Sweden they are used both fresh REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. 221 and salted or dried. In England, where there was formerly the same prejudice exist ing as in the United States, the spined dogfish has emerged from its odium and is gradually assuming a position of importance as a food fish, about five and one-half million pounds being used in 1912. In tire fried-fish shops it masquerades and is readily eaten as Plaice, one of the most popular of English fishes, thus demonstrating that the elimination of prejudice against it is a prime factor in its introduction into consumption. "Certain secondary products of the dogfish could probably find a market if the value of its flesh could be established. The liver is rich in oil, having most of the qualities of cod-liver oil; its skin makes an attractive leather, and is unsurpassed abrasive for fine wood and ivory workers, and the fins are rich in gelatine. All of these utilities should be convertible into profit and if they can be availed of on a com mercial scale the dogfish problem could be solved to the satisfaction of both fishermen and the consuming public, and a heavy annual industrial loss would be converted into a profit. "This bill is intended to provide authority and means for the attempted attainment of these ends by inducing the consumer to recognize the qualities of the dogfish and other waste fishery products and in educating the fishermen to prepare them and market them in such manner as will conduce to that result. It is a practical measure, and it is believed that it will yield practical results. " While the dogfish is the most destructive probably of all the predacious fishes, yet the depredations that are wrought by other predacious fishes and aquatic animals is of itself a serious menace to our fisheries, and this bill will be of advantage to all the Coast and Gulf States.” The Senate Committee on Fisheries also held full hearings, but the proceedings were not recorded. This committee amended the bill and the Senate and House of Representatives passed the amended measure as follows: An Act To conduct investigations and experim ents for am eliorating th e damage w rought to the fisheries b y predacious fishes and aq u atic animals. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Commissioner of Fisheries be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to conduct investigations and experiments for the purpose of ameliorating the damage wrought to the fisheries by dogfish and other predacious fishes and aquatic animals. S ec. 2. That tile said investigations and experiments shall be such as to develop the best and cheapest means of taking such fishes and aquatic animals, of utilizing them for economic purposes, especially for food and to encourage the establishment of fisheries and markets for them. S ec . 3. That the sum of $23,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary', is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to enable the Commissioner of Fisheries to carry out the provisions of this Act, the same to be immediately available. Approved, June 21, 1916. This act withheld from the Commissioner of Fisheries certain authority conferred by the second section of the original draft which was regarded as important for the efficient performance of the duties imposed, and to the omission of which from a pre vious bill the Commissioner had called attention in his letter of February 5, 1915, previously quoted. The demand for some action to alleviate the dogfish nuisance was so urgent, and as the measure appeared to be the best obtainable, its approval was recommended and the plans already formulated were modified to meet the new conditions. The Bureau of Fisheries had long before found that fresh dogfish were excellent food, and had had them placed on the market in limited quantities in connection with its campaign for the introduction of the tilefish. It was found, however, that like certain other food fishes, they could not be shipped far from the coast without deterioration. In order that the work should be most effective, it was necessary to find a sale for large quantities of the fish, and that the market should be almost country wide. The most feasible plan, therefore, was to present them to the public in a canned condition. 222 R EP O R T OP TH E S E C R E T A R Y O P COM M ERCE. In anticipation of the passage of an act granting the necessary authority to proceed with the undertaking as originally planned, the Bureau, about December i, 1915, had had a small quantity of dogfish canned by one of the largest and most experienced packers of New England. The product was excellent in appearance and flavor, and was favorably reported on by the various persons to whom it was distributed for trial. Samples were tasted by some of the members of the committees of the Senate and House of Representatives during the hearings previously referred to, and no adverse criticism was offered. It was assumed, therefore, that the product was of a quality to warrant an attempt to place it on the market, especially as it could be sold at a very low price, a desideratum already strongly appealing to those interested in com batting the increasing cost of foods. The original plan was to have these fish packed at the expense of the Bureau of Fisheries and to sell them to distributors at cost, with an understanding that the Bureau was to undertake a publicity campaign to promote their sale, and to accept the return of and make reimbursement for such of the product as for any reason might prove unsalable. This proposed procedure appeared to be direct and businesslike, as the Bureau would maintain control over distribution, could confine its campaign to the most favorable localities, would be in direct touch with such difficulties as might arise, and could take immediate steps to curtail losses. As the authority to buy and sell was not conferred by the law, and as the amendment of the bill originally submitted indicated that Congress was averse to granting such authority, it was neces sary to proceed otherwise. This legislation was not sought by the Department, and it was not passed in the form suggested by the Commissioner of Fisheries to the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries to meet a situation which had confronted that committee for many years, but it appeared to permit a workable plan for meeting the conditions which the Bureau of Fisheries proceeded at once to put into execution. Arrangements were made with the canners who had prepared the experimental pack to can 5,000 cases of 24 one-pound cans each, which w er. to be handled b y them in the ordinary course of their business and sold at the lowest price consistent with a reasonable profit. The Bureau of Fisheries, on its part, undertook a publicity cam paign to establish a market for the new commodity and authorized the packers to place on their labels a statement to the effect that the fish were packed at the request of the Bureau of Fisheries and according to a method approved by it. The name dogfish, lacking precision on account of its application to a number of distinct and widely varying species of fishes, and having acquired an approbrious implication on account of the destructive habits of the species, was changed to “ grayfish” (gray being the natural color of the fish), and the packers were authorized to use that name on their labels. All of these arrangements and understandings were informal. During the last quarter of 1916 the pack agreed on was ready and the Bureau of Fisheries launched its campaign. The packers were furnished with placards recom mending grayfish which they were requested to send to their customers and the latter were furnished directly by the Bureau with circulars containing recipes which they were urged to place in the hands of consumers. Simultaneously the public press, household journals, and other agencies of publicity were provided with reading mat ter and news notes which were widely published. This marketing campaign was successful beyond expectation, the original pack was soon exhausted, and inquiries began to be received as to sources of supply and complaints because the demand could not be satisfied. The grayfish had left the shore waters of the Atlantic coast and the pack in New England could not be increased, but agents of the Bureau were sent to the Pacific coast and arrangements for a pack were made with several experi enced canners in Washington. The reports received by the Bureau of Fisheries from consumers, experts in die tetics, and others were at first all favorable and often highly commendatory of the R E P O R T O F TH E SE C R E T A R Y OF COMMERCE. 223 quality and low price of grayfish. This continued several months, during which a large quantity of the food found a market with success. About July, 1917. a com plaint was received that some of the fish canned by a Pacific coast packer gave forth a strong odor of ammonia, and this was followed, by others of similar tenor. It was known that the grayfisli developed this odor when stale, and it was at first assumed that some of the fish had been kept too long before being dressed and packed. The company whose pack had been complained of was first warned to be more careful and later was ordered to cease using the name of the Bureau of Fisheries on its labels. Suspicion having been excited by these complaints, further investigation was made and it was found that even when perfectly fresh grayfisli are packed by the best meth ods employed in canning other fish, such as salmon, there is a gradual evolution of ammonia in the cans, which, while not inimical to health, is objectionable to the sense of smell. There also develops, more slowly, a progressive deterioration of the cans which eventually causes minute perforations and gradually darkens the contents through the deposit of tin and iron salts in the fish, rendering them totally unfit for food. Detinning of the cans occurs to some extent in a large number of canned products, but in most cases to but a small extent. It is particularly troublesome in certain vegetable products, and considerable losses have resulted, but in the common food fishes the reaction is not excessive and the difficulties in canning usually have not been with the keeping qualities but in the first preparation. * In some cases, the tuna for instance, many thousands of dollars have been expended and much time has passed before a satisfactory product has been prepared and established on the markets. Neither the Bureau of Fisheries nor the several experienced fish packers who canned grayfish anticipated these difficulties, as it was expected that when oticc palatably prepared and thoroughly processed and sealed the product would behave like other canned fish. It is easy to see now why this was not the case, but it was no more surprising that unexpected technical difficulties should be encountered in this case than were experienced in the early history of the canning of crab meat and shrimp and even lobster, entire packs of which spoiled to the heavy cost of the packers, ¡us is well known. Such experiences are common when making new products. The mistake in the case of the grayfish was an overeagemess to get results in order that the fishermen quickly should obtain the benefits intended by Congress in passing the act and that the food supply of the country might be enhanced in a time of urgent need. It is apparent now that the canned fish should have been held for at least a year to test its keeping qualities before effort was made to enlist the interests of the packers and involve them in the possibility of loss. Between 1,200,000 and 1,500,000 cans of grayfish were packed before the difficulties described were recognized, and apparently over half of this quantity was consumed before deterioration. The remainder was left unsalable in the hands of the packers, jobbers, and dealers. If the original plan of action had been followed, and the fish had been packed at the expense of and sold by the Department, these unsalable goods which by limitation of the appropriation would have been smaller in quantity, would have been taken off the hands of the holders and the money refunded, the usual busi ness procedure in such cases. As it appears that the Department’s moral obligation in the premises was not altered by the changes in plan consequent on the terms of the act of June 21, 1916, I trans mitted to Congress an estimate for the sum of $45,000 to reimburse losses sustained by packers who had cooperated in the undertaking. I submitted the following explana tory letters with the estimate, my letter to the Secretary of the Treasury, dated January 23, 1919, reading as follows: There is transmitted herewith for submission to the Congress an estimate of appro priation in the sum of $45,000, to reimburse fish packers for losses sustained in cooperat ing with the Bureau of Fisheries in the canning and marketing of grayfish. Also a letter from the-Commissioner of Fisheries in support of submission of the estimate. 224 R E P O R T O F T H E SE C R E T A R Y OF COM M ERCE. Having given careful consideration to the matter and feeling with the commissioner, that there is at least a moral obligation resting on tire Government to reimburse those who in cooperation with the department in this enterprise have suffered financial loss, I recommend the submission of tire estimate at this time and its consideration in connection with the sundry civil bill. Letter from the Commissioner of Fisheries to me, dated January 22, 1919: There is transmitted herewith, with the recommendation that it be submitted to Congress, an estimate in the sum of $45,000 for inclusion in the estimates for " Expenses, Bureau of Fisheries, 1920.” An act approved June 21, 1916, appropriated $25,000 for alleviating losses sustained by the fisheries from the acts of predaceous marine animals, especially the grayfish or dogfish, and provided for a campaign to convert such animals to economic uses, particularly as human food. This measure was based on one suggested by the depart ment as a substitute for a proposal made by certain representatives of the fishermen, which was regarded as not only economically unsound but which would have involved heavy initial appropriations for reduction works and annual appropriations for opera tion. The project was thoroughly discussed at hearings of the Senate Committee on Fisheries and the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, specimens of canned grayfish being presented and tested at both hearings. Based on the authority granted by the bill as it passed the House, tentative plans had been made by the Bureau of Fisheries to have several thousand cases of grayfish canned with the purpose of selling them to dealers for a consumer’s test, the proceeds of the transaction to be covered into the Treasury as “ Miscellaneous receipts.” The act as amended by the Senate and approved did not authorize this direct business transaction, and as a practical alternative arrangements were made with an experienced canner to pack 5,000 cases after a method which the preliminary experiments appar ently had shown to be satisfactory. The packer was to handle the product in the regular course of his business, but he was to be permitted to state on his label that it was recommended by the Bureau of Fisheries, and was packed at its request by a process approved by it. The bureau was also to undertake a publicity campaign to acquaint the consumer with its qualities and availability. The original quality of the canned grayfish was excellent, as was attested by culinary experts to whom it was submitted for test, and by the ordinary consumer, and this in combination with its low price and its effective exploitation created a demand which the original pack could not satisfy. To meet this demand, arrangements, similar to those described, were made with competent and experienced fish packers on the Pacific coast in January, 1917. In July, 1917, complaints began to be received in regard to an ammoniacal odor of the contents of some of the cans. At first it was believed that this was the result of carelessness in packing or the use of stale fish, but further investigation has shown that this odor develops normally in fish when canned according to the original method, and that, furthermore, there is a progressive detinning of the interior of the cans so packed, resulting in the absorption of metallic tin by the fish which renders it in time unsuitable'for food. The product in which these effects occur was canned by essenti ally the same method employed with salmon and the difference in keeping qualities is due to inherent differences in the character of the fish which neither experienced canucrs nor the Bureau of Fisheries nor the expert physiological chemists consulted by the latter had reason to believe would result in these unfortunate reactions. The defect was not noticed in the first lot of fish packed because they were so promptly consumed, but later when the relation between supply and demand was in better equilibrium, and the goods, like other canned products, remained for six months or more on the shelves of dealers a serious situation developed; the grayfish canned by this method began to be condemned as unfit for food and the packers received many claims for reimbursement on account of spoilage and numerous complaints were received b y the Bureau of Fisheries. The bureau recognizes that there is properly lying against it no legally enforceable financial responsibility in this matter, but I am convinced that there is a moral obli gation that it should not subject to serious loss those whose cooperated with it in an effort to introduce this commodity and those who purchased it on the recommendation made respecting it, and I earnestly recommend that the appropriation asked for the relief of these persons be granted. They entered into the transaction in good faith and with reliance on the recommendations officially made to them. They would have made little or no profit on the venture even if this product had not undergone deterioration as representations were made to them that in order to introduce it the selling price should be but slightly above the cost of production. If the Bureau had followed the original plan to have fish canned for its account and the product had been REPO R T O F T H E S E C R E T A R Y O F COM M ERCE. 225 sold to distributors with the usual implied guaranty of keeping qualities, there would have been a direct obligation to make refund for spoilage. That a somewhat different procedure was followed should not be used as an excuse for evading this obligation. Although the canning of grayfish by this original method has been in part unsuc cessful , the original appropriation of $25,000 has been very productive. Other methods of canning grayfish with better keeping qualities have been devised, and the new product has been on the market for a year without complaint. The same fish is being sold in considerable quantities smoked, and is now regularly on the markets in a fresh state in New York, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and other places. The fund has been used, also, in exploiting various other neglected or little used fishes, with the result that over 15,000.000 pounds of certain hitherto neglected fishes, valued at about S i,000,000, were marketed during the present season, in addition to unknown bu.t considerable quantities of a number of other species, concerning which quantitative data are not available. Most of this will result in permanent annual addition to the food supply, which undoubtedly will grow under the impetus imparted to these specific fisheries. The above statement has been unofficially placed before the chairman of the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, and the course suggested has his personal approval. SUPPLEMENTAL ESTIMATE OF APPROPRIATIONS REQUIRED FOR THE SERVICE OF THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUN E 3 0 , 19 2 0 , BY THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, BUREAU OF FISH ER IES. Miscellaneous expenses, Bureau of Fisheries: To reimburse fish packers for losses sustained in cooperating with the Bureau of Fisheries in the canning and marketing of grayfish, to be expended under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of Com merce, to be immediately available (act June at, 1916, vol. 39, p. 232, sec. 1), submitted........................................................................................ $45,000 The appropriation was urged by the Commissioner of Fisheries and Deputy Com missioner of Fisheries and myself at hearings before the Committee on Appropriations, but was not allowed. On May 19, 1919, this recommendation was repeated and $15,000 additional requested: this also was refused. A t the present time two companies on the Pacific coast are producing, monthly, about 70 tons of stock and poultry feed from grayfish, and kippering the fish for human consumption, which was suspended during the summer, is about to be resumed. This latter product is placed on the market both fresh and canned. Through some complete misunderstanding this grayfish work has been confounded in discussions in Congress with a scries of demonstrations in fish cookery, another undertaking in which this Department engaged through the Bureau of Fisheries. The two had no relation to one another. The grayfish project dealt with the commer cial preparation of a particular fish for the market, and the establishment of a fishery for it. The cooking demonstrations were for the purpose of instructing cooks and housekeepers in the best and most economical methods of preparing all kinds of fish for the table, particular attention being devoted to the cheaper varieties available in each locality' but which are not adequately utilized because their merits and the proper methods of cooking them are not known to the public. In other words, one of these projects was a manufacturing and mercantile undertaking and the other was concerned solely with the home. The cookery' demonstrations, furthermore, were more fortunate than the grayfish undertaking in that they were successful from the beginning, and were received with unalloyed satisfaction and thankfulness by all to whom they were, directed. They were a direct and effective contribution to the welfare of the home, and not only aided in reducing living costs through the use of cheaper fish, and usually wasted parts of fishes, and more economical cooking mate rials, but they were contributions to health through the exposition of more wholesome methods of cooking. This work was initiated as an emergency measure during the war under an allot ment from the appropriation for national security and defense, but it was received 140261— 19----- 15 22 Ó R E P O R T OF TH E SE C R E T A R Y O F COMMERCE. with such general favor and had so conclusively demonstrated its value under existing economic conditions that Congress was asked for an appropriation of $15,000 for its continuance during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920. The following correspond ence relating to this request explains this work and what it accomplished: D epa rtm en t of Co m m erce, O f f ic e o f t h e S e c r e t a r y , Washington, June 7, IQIQ. There is herewith handed you for transmission to Congress an estimate of an appropriation in the sum of $15,000 for the conduction of demonstration and the imparting of instruction in cheap, wholesome, and correct methods of preparing fish for consumption and in cooking same for use as food. The work thus far done of this kind has been under an allotment from the fund for the national security and defense. It has been fully appreciated by the public all over the country, and it is deemed of special importance in this time of high food prices that the work should be continued. Yours, very truly, W i l l ia m C. R e d f i e l d , Secretary of Commerce. My D ear Mr . S ecretary: T h e S ecretary of th e T rea su ry . D e p a r t m e n t o f Co m m e r c e , B u r e a u o f F is h e r ie s , Washington, June 6 , I Q I Q . There is transmitted herewith for submission to the Congress an estimate of appro priation in the sum of $15,000 to enable the Bureau of Fisheries to continue during the fiscal year 1920 demonstrations of the best and most economical ways of preparing and cooking fish. This work was inaugurated on the Pacific coast in May, 1918, and w as made possible by virtue of an allotment for the increase of the food supply from the appropriation for national security and defense. It proved effective and success ful beyond all expectations and was extended to a number of the larger communities in the Mississippi Valley and as far east as Boston and its vicinity. These demon strations originally were regarded as war work and it was assumed that should the war continue the expenses incurred in their prosecution could be defrayed from appropriations similar to that under which it was inaugurated. It was not until the demonstrations had been extended to the Mississippi Valley, after the bureau’s esti mates for the next fiscal year had been submitted, that it was appreciated that they were of such extraordinary public value as to demand that they should be continued under peace conditions. From every city in which the meetings have been held the bureau has received expressions of appreciation and commendation from chef associations, women’s organ izations, individual housekeepers, and the fish trade, and the quality of the service rendered has been further indicated by the extent and nature of the press notices, especially during the period since the signing of the armistice and after nearly two years of surfeit of food-conservation propaganda. The work is blazing a new trail in the field of domestic science, a fact which is attested by those most highly skilled in cookery as well as by the most humble housekeeper. After a demonstration attended by the chefs and stewards of the principal hotels of Chicago, the Inter national Stewards’ Association requested most urgently that a similar demonstration be given at the national convention of that organization. Innumerable housekeepers have informed the bureau and its agents that after pursuing the methods advocated they have been able cheaply to prepare fish in a manner acceptable to their house holds, which had before held fish in low esteem. The work is directed principally toward the introduction of more wholesome and appetizing methods of cooking fish, the use of the cheaper and more abundant species in each locality, and the utilization for food purposes in the home of those parts of the fish usually thrown away. It is the bureau’s most direct and effective contribu tion to the needs of the women of the country and the improvement of home and health. At this time, when the difficulties of the household are manifold, it is particularly important, and I urgently recommend that provision be made for its con tinuance. H. M. S m i t h , Commissioner. The S e cr eta r y of C om m erce . R EP O R T OF TH E S E C R E T A R Y OF COM M ERCE. D epa r tm en t o f Co m m erce, B u r e a u o f F is h e r ie s , W a s h in g to n , J u n e 6 , 1 QIQ. M e m o r a n d u m R e g a r d in g D e m o n s t r a t i o n s o n F i s h C o o k e r y : in one yeaT we have given 125 demonstrations on fish cookery and directly reached some 15,000 women, and, as has repeatedly been shown, those attending have been so enthusiastic with our work that they have carried our message into many other ho nes. Meetings have been held on the Pacific coast, from Bellingham to San Diego, in the principal cities of the .Middle West, and in Boston and vicinity. The women have been taught a new way of cooking fish which eliminates 75 per cent of the labor and of the expensive cooking fats or oils, as well as most of the odors. The housewives all over the country are loud in their praise of finding an easy and inexpensive way of cooking fish, and particularly interested in finding all sorts of cheaper fish and fishery products of which they had never heard before. We have tried to show them how to get a dinner of fish for four persons at a cost of 25 cents, or two meals for 40 cents. In spite of the high prices ruling we have always been able to introduce them to cheaper varieties, procured from their own markets. I find the housewife is much gratified to think her Government is taking enough interest in her problems to send us through the country teaching and preaching economy and showing her how to get two dinners for what she has been paying for one. She is keen to recognize, when it is pointed out to her, that at present there is not much hope for cheaper meats, poultry, eggs, or milk, and that she must look to fish for cheap protein food for her children’s building materials. I also use these meetings for the dissemination of helpful propaganda for the building up and holding together of the home. In these days of unrest. I try to calm down the women by suggestions for them to meditate over, pointing out that, with a country at war, the Government takes into consideration the morale of its soldiers but with a nation at peace the morale of the country is in the hands of the wives and mothers; they are the hidden stones which hold up the whole edifice of civilization. The humblest little woman, toiling to serve her family a well-cooked meal, and looking well to the ways of her household, is setting an example in her community for which her Government will rise up and call her blessed, as well as her husband and children E v eu en e Sp e n c e r , Demonstrator in Fish Cookery. The recommendation failed to meet with the approval of the Committee on Appro priations, and when the bill carrying appropriations for the Bureau of Fisheries was being considered by the House of Representatives on June 21, 1919, the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations cited the dogfish case as a reason for not granting the item of $15,000 “ for the conducting of demonstration and the imparting of instruction in cheap, wholesome, and correct methods of preparing fish for consumption and in cooking same for use as food. ” I brought this matter to the attention of the chairman in the following communication dated June 25, 1919: My attention has been called to your remarks in connection with the omitted item of $15,000 for the demonstration and imparting of knowledge and instruction in the proper cooking of fish, appearing on page 1605 of the Congressional Record for June 21. The description I have ttsed is neither yours nor mine, but it is sufficiently accurate to make the subject clear. My purpose in writing you is merely to point out for your information and that of the Committee on Appropriations that there is no connection whatever between the item of $15,000 omitted and the item of $60,coo with respect to the gray fish, and also to advise that as regards this latter matter there are facts apparently not before you at the time. The item of S i j . o o c has nothing whatever to do with any canned fish. No person concerned with it had any relation to or part in the matter of the grayfish, nor has any criticism ever arisen in connection with the matter for which tiic Si5,oco was asked. The reverse is true. That work has been the means of putting on the market millions of pounds of new, unused foods and of greatly enlarging the use of foods now little used. Public expressions of gratitude and appreciation have come from many parts of the country. No word of fault has ever been found. The matter of the grayfish refers solely to canned foods put up by Cahners themselves. It is as distinct and different from the other as day is from night. It refers to a past that has gone. To-day grayfish is being satisfactorily prepared for the market and is a regular article of food The difficulties in connection with it are merely such as were normal to the initial stages of a new article and the problems have been satisfactorily solved. 228 R E P O R T O F TH E SE C R E T A R Y OF COM M ERCE. The Department thereupon renewed its estimate for an appropriation for this work, and increased the amount required to $75,000. The representation of the matter to Congress was made the occasion for a full statement of the work already accomplished and crying need for its continuance in my letter to the Speaker of the House of Repre sentatives, dated July 19, 1919, as follows: In respectfully asking the attention of the House of Representatives again to House document 88, Sixty-sixth Congress, fust session, kindly let me say that the reason for so rloinji is the high price of food and the insistent, imperative demands which these high prices make upon the modest incomes of the poor. It is true that the estimate submitted under date of 7th June, and concerning which I had the privilege of writing on the 13th ultimo to the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, has been considered both by that committee and by the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and has by both been rejected. Nevertheless, X venture again to bring it before you because the demand for cheaper food is insistent and will not down; because the prices demanded for food are high and have little, if any, tendency to reduction: and because Congress has itself since the matter was brought up before expressed a keen interest in the subject of the excessive cost of living Furthermore, it is my duty to insure that neither the department nor myself has failed to make clear to the thought of Congress that for a modest sum it is possible to continue a great and successful work in providing supplies of cheap, nourishing, and palatable food and thus to assist in solving the problem which presses so severely upon every household. For these reasons it is earnestly requested, not so much on behalf of the Department of Commerce or the Bureau of Fisheries, as on behalf of the people of the United States, many of whom are oppressed with high prices, that this matter be given further consideration at the hands of the appropriate committee. The purpose of the fund of $15,000 which is now asked, is to conduct demonstrations and impart instructions in correct, cheap, wholesome methodsof preparing and cook ing fish for consumption. This work has been successfully carried on in the leading cities of the States of Washington, Oregon, and California; in St. Louis, Chicago, St. Paul, and Minneapolis; Cleveland and Cincinnati; Boston and Cambridge, Mass.; in St Augustine, Key West, and three other cities in Florida; Savannah and Valdosta, Ca ; in connection with the Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mis sissippi; and at Washington, D. C., itself. This work is now' stopped; unless it can be resumed at an early date, the trained personnel who have done it will be lost. If there is question as to the necessity of this work, the answer is the price of food. If there is question as to whether the Government should do the work, the answer is that thete is no other agency which is nation wide that can do it, and to use separate agencies for the pur;tose would be both expensive and impracticable. If the ques tion of economy is raised, the answer is that by the services of four persons the whole country can be reached at an expense of S15.000, and one might ask in turn by what other means so great a result can be had for so little. If the question of urgency is raised , the answer is that the pressure of high prices is a living, hurtful fact which calls for every possible step showing hope of either improvement or remedy. Finally, if there is question as to the success of this work, the answer is that in every State in which meetings have been held voluntary expressions of appreciation of the useful ness and importance of the w'ork have come from housewives,-from women’s clubs, from organizations for food conservation, from stewards’ associations, from restaurant owners’ associations, from hotel owners’ associations, from chambers of commerce, from the heads of domestic science schools and colleges, and from the fishery trade. Voluntar)' letters commending the work have come from— San Francisco Center of the California Civic League. Twentieth Century Club, Berkeley, Calif. Director of food conservation for city and county of San Francisco, Calif. Community Service Organization, St. Louis, Mo. Home Demonstration Office, St. Louis, Mo. International Stewards’ Association, Chicago, 111. Again and again iromen have called attention to the fact that they had been using little or no fish food because of some groundless prejudice or because of ignorance, and have testified to the value of the meetings to them in teaching the value and excel lence of properly cooked fish. Fifteen thousand women have received direct instruc tion and many thousand more have been indirectly but effectively reached. There is lack of appreciation of the food value of fishery products. There is ignor ance of the relative merits of the different fish. There is failure to employ the best methods of preparing them for the table. For these reasons, there is a failure to util ize an abundant and available supply of aquatic foods, which are both wholesome and cheap. There was no need for cheap food during the war that does not now exist. R EPO R T OF TH E SE C R E T A R Y OF COMMERCE. 229 It can be by no means said with truth that an emergency existed which has passed away. Tire answer to such a suggestion is found in every household. The demonstrations have emphasized the need of eating little-used or neglected products Among those that have been demonstrated are the flounders, roekfishcs, sable fish (Pacific black cod), sand dab sharks, skates, sole, squid, whale, whiting, • the milts and livers of salmon, and the roe and buck’ roe of various fishes. In the Middle West, however, special emphasis was laid upon the use of frozen fish, of which there were abnormally large stocks in the cold storages of the country. The careful buying of fish has been taught and also the way of utilizing the head and trimmings, which parts are richer in flavor, but usually thrown away, as well as correct methods of cooking, insuring economy in the use, not of the food alone, but of the fats and oils, and saving time in both cooking and serving. The Department of Commerce, through the Bureau of Fisheries, has been fortunate in the personnel employed upon this work, and particularly in obtaining the services of women able to combine with their demonstrations of how to live more cheaply in these trying times such teachings of domestic management as tend to build up and hold together the home. Housewives all over the country arc loud in their praise of finding an easy and inexpensive way of cooking fish, and particularly at finding many kinds of cheap fish and fishery products of which they never heard. Our dem onstrations have shown them how to get a dinner for four persons at a cost of 25 cents, or two meals for 40 cents, and in spite of the high prices ruling they have always been able to introduce cheaper varieties procured from the local markets in which the demonstrations were held. Literally, this is the work of showing how two dinners can be had for what has been the cost of one, and the lesson has been taught that while there is perhaps little immediate hope for marked reduction in the price of meat, poultry, eggs, or milk, there can be found in various kinds of fish now little used, or not used at all, cheap and sustaining food in abundance. A work of such profound benefit to our people, which so directly promotes the welfare of every home ought not, in my judgment, to be set aside. I am convinced that the Bureau of Fisheries in tapping supplies of little-used or unused food has done a service which will out weigh manyfold the monetary value of the appropriation requested and I am equally convinced that when the importance of this work is known and realized there will be but few voices raised save in its favor. It has been the most direct and effective con tribution of the Bureau of Fisheries to the needs of the homes of the country and to the improvement of health and to removing the anxious cares which the price of living impose upon many of our people. This subject came up incidentally on the floor of the House of Representatives, at which time mention was made that in connection with the introduction of certain fishery foods faults had been found, and that an estimate had been presented to make good certain claims believed by this department to be morally sound This is men tioned only to point out that the two subjects are neither the same nor are they alike. They originated in different branches of the Fishery Service The out had to do with the preservation of canned goods by business houses who are packersof such goods; the other lias to do only with domestic cooking. No argument from the one can bear upon the other. This is the more true that the faults tn connection with the canned product were long since corrected and the product itself is now an established article of food. Finally, may I suggest that if there be force in the statement that any group of producers do in any measure dominate the markets for food, here is a practical means of competition, opening a supply not dependent upon the will or the interest of any man or group of men, but found on every shore, in our lakes and streams. It can be had in many places for the taking if its value is made known and the people are taught its use. Let me conclude by quoting from the Fisheries Bulletin for March 1, a letter from a student in the San Diego (Calif.) High School* " * * * I would like to say a few words of commendation and praise in regard to the wonderful work your representative, Mrs. Spencer, is doing here in our city. She is waking the women and girls up to see what their duty is to their country, themselves, and others. “ For two years I have done a goodly part of the family cooking, but I never had any realization of the nourishment in fish. I thought beef and other meats were the only animal foods of any value, but Mrs. Spencer has opened my eyes, and I intend to use a great deal of fish, and I feel sure that other people feel the same way. " I received, though, a greater lesson from Mrs. Spencer’s talks than the use and utilization of fish. She made it so plain that the young girl of America must become proficient in all the housewifely arts; that unless she does she will wreck not only her own life but the lives of her family. I think that this part of Mrs. Spencer’s work is going to run deepest, and I sincerely hope she will 'drive it home’ in every part of the United States, for the girls of America need to be educated out of the false con ceptions they have of what a lady should be proficient in .” 230 R E P O R T OE TH E S E C R E T A R Y O F COMMERCE. I may add also the following from a Chicago broker and wholesale dealer in frh “ I take pleasure in advising you that your Mr. H. L. K elly and Mrs. Spencer did the fish industry a great benefit in their recent exhibition of cooking and serving fish in Chicago. Not only were the meetings a success but the amount of advertising given the fish industry through their efforts has had immediate effect upon the con sumption of fish in Chicago. Mr. K elly did everything possible to interest not only* the fish dealers but also the stewards and chefs of the leading hotels in Chicago. Work of this kind tends to bring the fish prominently* before not only the housewife but the patrons of hotels and restaurants, and tends to the general good of the fish business.” For the reasons above stated, I beg to renew* my request that the matter be again considered. The same fate befell this second effort of the Department to secure the support of Congress in a successful endeavor to reduce the cost of living, as a part of the general movement of the Government to that end. The unfavorable action w*as based on the same erroneous argument as in the first place, namely, that the Department wa striving to get authority for a project similar to that undertaken with regard to the dogfish. The official judgment of Congress was pronounced as follows: [E xtract from rem arks in th e H ouse of R epresentatives b y Hon. J. W . Good, chairm an of the Com m ittee on A ppropriations, Sept. 16, 1919, during consideration of th e first deficiency appropriation hill (H . R 9205) See Congressional Record. Sept. 16. 1919, p 5869.] Of the estimates submitted by the Department of Commerce for relief of the high cost of living, $75,000 was for the purpose of demonstration of methods of preparing and cooking fish. Congress has had some experience with this department on this very same subject. In the act approved June 21, 1016, the Department of Commerce was given $25,000 to conduct investigations and experiments with regard to dogfish. Out of that appropriation the department did make an investigation and demonstra tion in the matter of cooking and canning dogfish and gave the results of its investi gation to the eanners. A great many canncrs of fish canned dogfish in accordance with the instructions of this department. The result was not satisfactory. After these fish had been canned and disposed of tiie cans commenced to explode, and hist year the Department of Commerce came before Congress with an estimate of $60,000 to reimburse these eanners who had canned dogfish in accordance with the methods which had been demonstrated by the Department of Commerce. A great many of these estimates for reducing the high cost of living are of the dog fish character and if granted would give just about as much relief as did the $25,000 previously appropriated for dogfish demonstrations. The people want relief from high prices, not dogfish demonstrations. This more recent statement, like the former from the same source, contains impor tant misstatements, omits essential facts in regard to the dogfish work, and wholly ignores the main issue. A partial and temporary* failure in a pioneer effort that was deliberately curtailed by Congress is used as an argument against a wholly different piece of work that has proved highly successful. The assumption of a moral obligation to reimburse eanners to the amount of $45,000 or $60,000 for losses incurred in an effort originating with Congress itself to mitigate a great public nuisance may be a highly* reprehensible act for which this Department should be held up for criticism and blame. The other side of the balance sheet, however, should be considered. It should be remembered that, as an alternative t° the course recommended by the Department, there was pending in Congress and strongly backed a proposition that the Government should go into the business of manufacturing fertilizer from sharks and should pay a bounty on sharks, and that there should be built and operated as many as too fertilizer plants which were avowedly* to be maintained at a large annual loss. For a period of five y*ears the amount of money* required to carry* out the terms of the proposed legislation would have been not less than $20,000,000, and at the end of that time the Government would have had on its hands some expensive plants of no further usefulness, and the permanent abundance of dogfishes would have been affected no more than by a debate in Congress. This Department has with justice opposed measures which involved the possibility of such inroads on the Treasury* and prevented, at least temporarily, any further efforts in the same direction. It has been prevented, on grounds wholly unrelated to the subject, from continuing a successful, cheap, and efficient work of adding to our food supply in a time of need. INDEX Page. A bbott, Jam es F ., commercial-attaché activi t i e s . . . , ............................ *............................ 83 Acciden ts on vessels.............................................. 183 A dvertising for proposals, ex penditures.......... 63 Aeronautical instrum ents, S tandards Bureau te sts............................................................... 122 Aeroplane, use in hydrography and topog ra p h y ............................................................ 179 Ages, pensioners’. Census B ureau searches... 134 registrants. Census Bureau tran scrip ts......... 136 A griculture D epartm ent, close cooperation needed w ith Commerce D e p a rtm e n t.. 205 Aids to navigation, A lask a............................ 27» 28,32 appropriations and e x penditures................... 27,28 Lighthouse S ervice........................................... 159 1910 an d 1919........................................................ 208 A ir Mail Service, cooperation of Standards B ureau.......................................................... 107 Air service, A rm y and N avy, research labora tory needed.................................................. 180 Akron In d u strial Salvage Co. (Inc.), report. 7* Alaska, aids to nav ig atio n ...................... 27,28,32,160 appropriations an d expenditures, Fisheries B u re au .......................................................... 31 census, 1920.......................................................... X9 fisheries service................................................... 152 Fourteenth C ensus............................................ 143 fur-bearing an im als........................................... 157 fur-seal service.................................................... 153 K etchikan, lighthouse d e p o t.......................... 162 navigation aids, legislative n eed s................... 166 seal h e rd ............................................................... 155 surveys, wire-drag, n eed ed.............................. 178 unexpended balances, fisheries service......... 35 waters, surveys n eed ed .................................... 176 Alien P roperty Custodian, cooperation of statistical division, Foreign and Domes tic Commerce B u re au ....................... 95 Allied Cham ber of Commerce, Buenos Aires . 83 A llotm ents and expenditures, national se c urity and defense fu n d ............................. 23, 24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32 A ltitude laboratory. Stan d ard s B u reau......... 17,112 Ameriean-Canadian Fisheries Conference....... 8,158 A merican Cham ber of Commerce, Barcelona, cooperation of commercial a ttach és___ 82 Brazil, cooperation of commercial attach és. 83 London, cooperation of commercial attachés 79 American Economic Association, coopera tion of Census B u reau ............................ 139.142 A merican Electric R ailw ay Association W ar Board, cooperation of Census B u re a u .. 137 A merican Expeditionary Force, cooperation of trade commissioners.............................. 8s food surveys........................................................ 80 Page American Leather Research Laboratory, cooperation of Standards B u reau ........... 120 American Medical Association, cooperation of Standards B ureau................................. 116 Am erican-Russian Cham ber of Commerce, cooperation of Russian division, Foreign and Dom estic Commerce B u reau........... 93 American ships, steel and wooden tonnage, 1914 and 1919................................................... 189 Am erican Society for Testing Materials, co operation of editorial division, Foreign and Dom estic Commerce B u reau....................... 99 American Statistical Association, coopera tion of Census B ureau............................ 139,142 Am erican vessels, registered............................... 188 tonnage, 1914-1919............................................. 18$ Anderson, Norm an L ., trade-commissioner a c tivities...................................................... 85 A ppointm ent Division, printing and binding, co s t................................... 60 Appreciation, letters, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u reau ..................................... 78 Appropriations and expenditures, aids to navigation .................................................... 27,28 bureaus and services......................................... 2a Census B u reau .............................................. 23,27.32 Coast and Geodetic S u r v e y .............................. 23,32 estim ates, 1921.................................................... 36 com parison...................................................... 38 fish hatcheries.................................................... 26 Fisheries B u reau .................................... 23,26,29.3* Foreign and Dom estic Commerce B u r e a u .. 23,30 increase recom m ended.................................. xox increase of com pensation...................... 23,27,29,30 Lighthouse Service, details............................. 28 1919 and 1920.................................................... 165 special w o rk s................................................... 167 vessels............................................................... 209 Lighthouses B u reau .................................... 23,27,32 Navigation B u reau .......................... 23,26,31 printing and bin d in g........................................ 23.59 river and harbor im provem ents..................... 207 Secretary's O ffice........................................... . 23,30 shipbuilding, Em ergency Fleet Corporation 207 N a v y D epartm en t........................................ 207 Standards B u reau ....................................... 23,24,30 Steam boat-Inspection S erv ice................. 23,25, 31 wire-drag launches............................................ 177 Aquarium , laboratory, Fisheries Bureau . . . . 17 Archives b u ild in g................................................. 19 A rm y, air service, research laboratory needed. x8o Census Bureau em ployees............................... 137 cooperation of Standards Bureau. 102,107,121,122 Arnold, Julean, comincrcial-attaché activi ties. ................................................................ 8« 3 3 1 234 Council of National Defense, cooperation. IN D E X . Page. Census B u reau ............................................ 135 foreign-investigations division. Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau ......... 85 statistical division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau..................................... 95 Coast and Geodetic Survey, aeroplane, use in hydrography and topography................ 179 appropriations and expenditures.................. 23,32 building, need of suitable................................ 181 charts, etc., sales................................................ 33 contributions. State fair exh ibits.................. 65,66 cooperation. N a v y D epartm en t..................... 181 W ar D epartm ent........................................... 181 employees in A rm y and N a v y ....................... 180 estimates, 1921.................................................... 37 compared with appropriations, 1920......... 41 fie ld w o rk ........................................................ 170,173 hydrographic work, A tlan tic coast............... 172 Pacific coast.................................................... 172 hydrography, ship, described........................ 174 launches, wire-drag, needed........................... 178 m agnetic observatories..................................... 173 marine service.................................................... 12 national security and defense fund, allot m ent .............................................................. 29 new b u ild in g...................................................... 13 personnel, changes............................................ 43,44 precise levels, ru n ............................................. 173 printing and binding, cost.............................. 60 publications...................................................... 61,168 sales................................................................... 63 receipts, m iscellaneous.................................... 33 salaries, inadequate........................................... 56 surveys needed, A laska............................... 176,178 A tlan tic co ast................................................. 176 Florida coast................................................... 177 G ulf coast........................................................ 176 Long Island So u n d ....................................... 177 N ew England coast....................................... 177 Pacific coast.................................................... 176 Panam a C anal................................................ 178 Porto R i c o . . . ................................................ 178 Virgin Islands................................................. 178 tidal observations, sum m ary......................... 172 triangulation, sum m ary.................................. 172 unexpended balances....................................... 35 vessels, condensed statem en t..................... 171,172 construction costs, comparisons................. 210 hydrographic sum m ary............................... 172 operations........................................................ 180 returned b y N a v y ......................................... 170 transferred from N a v y ........................ 171,173 transferred to N a v y ...................................... 1S0 urgent needs................................................... 174 war w o rk............................................................. 180 Cross R ip Ligh t Vessel No. 6, destroyed__ 10,208 Custom s Service, cooperation of statistical division. Foreign and Dom estic Com merce B ureau............................................. 96 printing and binding, cost......................... 60 supplies............... 64 Deaths, Census Bureau statistics..................... 130 registration. Federal legislation needed . . . . 130 D e K a lb , Courtenay, mineral-resources in vestigation, S p a in ...................................... 87 Page. Dennis. Alfred P ., com m ercial-attache a c tiv ities ................................................................ 82 Depots, Lighthouse Service, construction---16a Diamond Shoal Light Vessel No. 71, s u n k . . . 10,208 Director General oi Railroads, cooperation of statistical division, Foreign and Do m estic Commerce B u re au ......................... 95 Disbursem ents. S e e A ppropriations and expenditures. D isbursing Office, printing and binding, c o st. 60 D istrict and cooperative offices, Foreign and Domestic Commerce Bureau, iticreased appropriation recom m ended................... 100 sum m ary of w o rk .......................................... 87 Divorce statistics. Census B u re au ..................... 132 D ocuments, S uperintendent of, publications sold, 1918and 1919...................................... 62,63 Dogfish cam paign and controversy................... 213 D utch H arbor, .Alaska, purchase recom m ended ......................................................... 67 Duties, navigation, receipts............................... 195 D ynam om eter laboratory, S tandards Bureau. 17 Editorial clerks, Publications Division, additional, needed.................................. * 63 Editorial division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce Bureau, cooperation w ith A merican Society for Testing M aterials. 99 sum m ary of w ork.......................................... 98 Education B ureau, cooperation of Census B ureau........................................................ 19*143 E dw ards, Paul L.. commercial-attache activ itie s................................................................ 8i Efficiency, certificates issued, Steam boatInspection Service..................................... 183 Electrical industries. Census Bureau in q u iry . 128 Electrical safety code. Standards B u re au ---no Electricity, Stan d ards Bureau division, w ork. 106 Electrolysis surveys. Standards B ureau ......... no Em ergency Fleet Corporation, appropria tions, shipbuilding.................................... 207 cooperation of Census B ureau........................ 137 Employees. S e e Personnel. E m ploym ent Service, cooperation of Census B ureau........................................................* 1 37 Encum brances on homes and farms, Four teenth Census............................................. 142 Estim ates, appropriations, 1921........................ 36 Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1921................... 37 comparison w ith appropriations, 1920......... 38 Fisheries Bureau, 1921..................................... 37 Foreign and Dom estic Commerce B ureau, 1 9 2 1 ................................................................ 37 Lighthouse Service, X921.................................. 37 vessels, appropriations needed....... ........... 209 N avigation Bureau, 1921................................. 37 Standards B ureau, 1921................................... 37 Steam boat-Inspection Service, 1921............. 37 Everley, H arold E., furniture-m arkets inves tigations........................................................ 85 Ewing, W . W ., foreign-trade studies............... 85 Exam inations, applicants for licenses, Steam boat-Inspection Service............................ 185 Executive orders, A pril zi, 19x7. and M ay 24, 1919................................................................ 10 E xhibits, S tate fair, cooperation of D epart m e n t.............................................................. 65 IN D E X . Pace. E xpenditures, advertising for proposals......... 63 S e e a l s o A ppropriations and expenditures. Explorer, Coast and Geodetic S urvey vessel, operations................................................. 171,181 235 P ace. Fisheries B ureau, fish culture, relations w ith S ta te s ..................................................... 148 fish hatcheries, B aker Lake, W ash., burned 147 Susquehanna River, Md., d o sed ............... 148 food fishes, consum ption................................. 213 F a r E astern circulars........................................... 92 new, in tro d u ctio n .......................................... 7 F a r Eastern division. Foreign and Domestic propagation..................................................... 146 Commerce Bureau, contributions to supply, n ational security and defense Commerce R ep o rts.................................... 91 fu n d .............................................................. 151 cooperation, Chinese G overnm ent............ 92 fur-bearing anim als. A laska........................... 157 Shipping B o ard .......................................... 92 general considerations.................................... • 145 extension recom m ended.. .*........................ 100 herring, Scotch-cured, 1917 and 1918............ 153 lib rary .............................................................. 91 laboratory a q u a riu m ........................................ *7 sum m ary of w ork........................................... 91 legislation, fishery, needed.............................. 158 F a ts and oils. Census Bureau statistics........... 133 m arine service.................................................. *2 Federal Reserve Board, close cooperation m osquito-eating fishes, propagation............. 150 needed w ith Commerce D e p a rtm e n t... 203 mussels, p ropagation........................................ '49 cooperation of L atin A merican division, new fish food, introduction, appropriation Foreign and Domestic Commerce Bu urg ed ............................................................. 7» reau ............................................................... 89 Pacific salmon, investigations................. 149 Federal T rade Commission, close cooperation personnel, changes............................................ 4 3 » 4 4 needed w ith Commerce D e p a rtm e n t... 204 Pribilof Islands, adm inistrative recommen cooperation of Census B u reau........................ 136 d atio n s.......................................................... *54 Feely, Edw ard F., economic conditions, printing and binding, cost.............................. 60 Mexico, su rv e y .................... 86 public hearings, Seattle, W ash ...................... 152 Fees, navigation, receipts................................... 195 publications............................................... 61.150,154 Ferrin, A. W ., commcrcial-attaché activities. 82,83 receipts................................................................. 33 Field force, Fourteenth C ensus......................... 139 salaries, in ad eq u ate........................................... 52 Field work, Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey — 170,173 sales, sealskins.................................................... *55 Financial statistics, cities, Census B ureau re salm on, hum pback, M aine.............................. '46 p o rt................................................................ 131 seal census, 1918 and 1919................................ '5 5 States, Census Bureau re p o rt......................... 131 seining parties, v a lu e ....................................... 75 Fines, navigation, receipts........................ ri, 193,200 shellfish investigations................................... . '4 9 Fire-resistive tests, Standards B u re au ............ 112 stranded fishes rescued.................................... 147 Fish-cooking dem onstrations, allotm ent, na s u p p lie s ...,........................................................ f)4 225 tional security and defense fu n d ........... unexpended balances................... 35 Fish culture, relations w ith S ta te s ................... 148 urgent needs................................................. '9 Fish hatcheries, appropriations and expendi vessels, returned by N a v y ....................... "> * 4 S tu re s .............................................................. 26 Roosevelt, operations................................. *54 B aker Lake, W ash., b u rn e d .......................... 147 W oods Hole, Mass , station, relinquished by estimates, 1921.................................................... 41 N a v y ....................................................... *45 compared w ith appropriations, 1920......... 41 Fisheries treaty , sockeye salm on................ 9 salaries, inadeq u ate........................................... 53 Fishery legislation n eed ed........................... *58 Susquehanna R iver, Md., closed................... 148 Fishing vessels, port privileges................... 8 Fisheries, American-Canadian C onference... 8 Florida coast, surveys, wire-drag, needed---177 Fisheries Bureau, Alaska, fisheries s e n d e e ... 152 F lorida S tate authorities, cooperation of fur-seal service................................................ 153 Fisheries B u re au ....................................... ' so seal h e rd ........................................................... 155 Food A dm inistration, cooperation, Census allotm ent and expenditures, national se B u reau ................................................... '3 5 curity and defense fu n d ............................ 26,32 Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau. 89,95 appropriations and expenditures....... 23,26.29,3* Food fishes, consum ption............................ 213 aquatic leather, new sources.......................... 151 new , in tro d u ctio n ............................................. 7 »7 » Beaufort, N . C., station, relinquished by p ropagation.................................................. '46 N a v y ............................................................. 145 biological investigations.................................. 148 Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau, after-war service.................................. 76 contributions, State fair e x h ib its.................. 65,66 allotm ent and expenditures, national secur cooperation. C hem istry Bureau, Agricul ity and defense fu n d .......................... 24.30 tu re D ep artm en t....................................... 149 appreciation, le tte rs.................................. 7& Florida S ta te au th o rities............................. 15e appropriations and expenditures.......... 23,30,101 Louisiana S ta te conservation d epartm ent 148 classification, export, revision................ 96 Public H ealth Sen d ee.................................. 150 clerical force, increase recommended . . . . . . . iot dogfish campaign and controversy............... 213 Commerce R eports, p u b lication......... 9'.96,99 estim ates, 1921.................................................... 37 commercial attachés, appropriation, in compared w ith appropriations, 1920......... 41 crease reco m m en d ed ............................ 'o ° fish-cooking dem onstrations, allotm ent, na V a c tiv itie s.................................................. 7 8 . 7 9 tional security and defense fu n d .......... 225 236 IN D E X . Page. Pagp. Foreign an d Dom estic Commerce B ureau, Foreign an d Domestic Commerce Bureau, cooperation, American Cham ber oí Com electrical-goods m arkets, I ta ly ................... 86 merce, B arcelona................................ 82 S outh Africa and In d ia ............................ 87 B razil....................., ................................. S3 South A m erica........................................... 86 financial conditions, England and the L o n d o n ..................................................... 79 C o n tin en t................................................. 87 Interallied C ontingent C om m ission___ 80 S p a in ............................................................. 86 Interallied Trade C o m m ittee................. 81 furniture m arkets. South A m erica........... 85 Liquidation Commission of A rm y........ 81 industrial-m achinery m arkets, F a r E ast. 87 M arkets B ureau, South D akota............. 8s France and B elgium ................................. 86 National'Association of Hosiery & K n it I ta ly .............................................................. 86 Goods M anufacturers............................ 84 jewelry and silverware, L a tin A merican N ational Industrial Conefrence B o ard .. 84 m a rk e ts..................................................... 86 R hineland High Commission................. 80 leather m arkets, E urope.............................. 87 Shipping B oard......................................... 83 lum ber m a rk e ts............................................. 85 Suprem e Economic Council.................... 80,81 m achine-tools m arkets, England and the U nited States Sugar Equalization C o n tin e n t................................................. 87 B o ard........................................................ 84 m ineral and tin problem s............................ 79 W ar D ep artm en t....................................... 79 m ineral resources, C hina.............................. 87 W ar T rade B o ard ........................... 79,80,81,83 S p a in ............................................................. 87 W orld Cotton Conference......................... 84 textile m arkets, South A m erica.................... 87 food surveys, A merican Expeditionary tex tile su b stitu te s............................................. 80 Force............................................................. 80 trad e conditions, R u m a n ia .......................... 86 national security and defense fund, allot transportation and port facilities, C hina---87 m e n t......................................... 78 tropical products, Central A m erica.............. 86 readju stm en t................................................... 78 K ennedy P hilip B., appointed director---79 cooperation. Census Bureau, w ar w ork....... 136 L atin America, syllabus.................................. 90 Council of National D efense....................... 85 trade prom otion............................................. 99 Shipping B o ard ........................................... . S5 L atin American circulars................................ 90 S tate D ep artm en t......................................... 204 L atin A merican division, extension recom W a r D ep artm en t..................................... 85 mended ......................................................... 10 W ar Industries B o ard .................................. 85 sum m ary of w ork .......................................... 88 W ar Trade B o ard ......................................... 85 library. F a r Eastern d ivision......................... 91 d istrict an d cooperative offices..................... 87,100 personnel, changes............................................ 4 3 » 4 4 editorial division, sum m ary of w ork............ 98 post allowances recom m ended....................... 100 employees, additional n e ed ............................ 56 p rin tin g and binding, cost.............................. 60 estim ates, 1 9 3 1 .................................................... 37 publications................................................... 61,85,86 compared w ith appropriations, 1920........ 39 research division, sum m ary of w ork............ 97 F a r Eastern circulars....................................... 92 R ussian division, cooperation, AmericanF ar Eastern division, cooperation. Chinese R ussian Cham ber of Commerce......... 93 G overnm ent............................................ 92 cham bers of com m erce............................. 93 Shipping B o ard .......................................... 92 L abor D e p artm e n t.................................. 93 extension recom m ended.............................. 100 N ational Association of American Man sum m ary of w o rk .......................................... 91 u factu rers............................................. 93 Foreign Commerce and N avigation, publi N ational B ank of Commerce................... 93 catio n ............................................................ 96 N ational C ity B ank, New Y o rk .------93 foreign tariffs division, cooperation, Post Poland R ep ublic........................................ 93 Office D e p artm e n t.................................... 98 Russian-American C om m ittee' for F ar sum m ary of w o rk .............. ........................... 98 93 E a s t....................................................... foreign trade, allotm ent, national security R ussian Economic League...................... 93 and defense fu n d ........................................ 78 R ussian E m bassy................................ .. 93 investigations................................................. 78 Shipping B o ard .......................................... 93 totals................................................................. 77 S ta te D ep artm en t...................................... 93 in dustrial standards series, p u b lic a tio n .. . . 99 W ar D ep artm en t....................................... 93 investigations, advertising m ethods, Latin W ar Trade B oard...................................... 93 A merican countries................................... 86 extension recom m ended.............................. 100 agricultural-m achinery m arkets, France. 86 R ussian division, lib rary ............................ 92 autom obile m arkets, England and th e sum m ary of w ork.......................................... 9a C ontinent.................................................... 86 salaries, in ad eq u ate.......................................... 53 Bolivia and Paraguay’s tra d e ................... 87 S tatistical A bstract, publication................... 96.97 chem ical industries, E u ro p e ...................... 86 statistical division, cooperation, Alien construction m aterials and m achinery, P roperty C u sto d ian ............... 95 S outh American m a rk e ts........................ 8s C entral Bureau of Planning and Sta cottonseed-hull fiber m ark ets............. . 79 tistics ........................................................ 95 economic conditions, Greece...................... 86 Council of N ational D efense................... 95 Mexico. ..................................................... • 86 Customs Service, Treasury D epartm ent 96 S w itzerland......................................... . 80 IN D E X . Page. Foreign and Dom estic Commerce Bureau, D irector General of R ailroads.................... 95 Food A dm inistration........................ i ........ 95 Geological S u rv ey .......................................... 9S M arkets Bureau, A griculture D epart m ent .............................................................. 95 M ines B u re au ................................................. 95 Public Inform ation C o m m ittee.................. 95 Shipping B oard.............................................. 94 W ar Industries B o ard .................................. 95 W ar M inerals C om m ittee............................ 95 W ar T rade B o ard .......................................... 95 Swedish and Norwegian contracts, allot m en t, national security an d defense fund............................................................... 79 trad e commissioners, cooperation w ith American Expeditionary Force............. 85 investigations................................................. 78 v ital w ork ............................. 85 trade-inform ation division.............................. 93 trade-m arks, legislation and p iracy .............. 9S Trade of U nited States w ith W orld, publi cation ............................................................ 96 unexpended balances....................................... 34 w ar w ork............................................................. 83,136 Foreign Commerce and Navigation, publica tion ................................................................ 96 Foreign-tariffs division, Foreign and Domes tic Commerce B ureau, cooperation w ith Post Office D e p artm e n t........................... 98 sum m ary of w o rk .......................................... 98 Foreign Trade A dvisers, S tate D epartm ent, cooperation of L atin A m erican divi sion, Foreign and Dom estic Commerce B u re au .......................................................... 89 Foreign trade, to ta ls............................................. 77 Forest Products Service, A griculture De partm ent, cooperation w ith In d u strial Cooperation Service.................................. 69 Forw ard (formerly Patterson), Coast and Geodetic Survey vessel, o p eratio n s.. 171,181 Fourteenth Census, A laska................................ 143 changes, legislative, from T h irte en th Census 138 encum brances, homes and farm s................... 142 estim ates, 1921...................................... 36 field force............................................................. X3 9 G u a m ................................................................... 143 H a w a ii.................................................................. M3 mechanical e q u ip m e n t.................................... 143 office force, exam inations................................ 142 Panam a Canal Z one......................................... 143 Porto R ico........................................................... 143 preparations........................................................ 138 Sam oa................................................................... 143 schedules, preparation...................................... 142 supervisors, Secretary's in stru ctio n s........ 140,141 14° test e x am in atio n ........................................... Fowler, John A., foreign-trade investigations, D utch E a st Indies an d S traits Settle m ents ............................................................ 87 Fuel A dm inistration, cooperation of Census B ureau.......................................................... 136 F u n stcn Bros. & Co., seal skins, sales............. 156 Fur-bearing anim als, A laska...................... 157 Fur-seal service. A lask a...................................... 153 237 Page. G ardenia, lighthouse tender, c o n d em n ed .. . 10.208 G arry, L. S., textiles investigation, South A m erica................................................. 87 Gas buoys, Lighthouse Service, 1910 and 1919. 208 General Electric Co., cooperation of Census B u reau ................................................... 134 General statistics of cities, Census Bureau re p o rts................................................... 131 General S upply Committee, cooperation of S tandards B u reau .................................. 120,126 Geological Survey, cooperation, Census B u reau .................................................................. j9 L atin American division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau............. 89 statistical division. Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau............................... 95 Geringer, V ladim ir A., foreign-trade investi gations, Czechoslovakia...................... 87 Glass, optical, Standards B ureau studies---113 G overnm ent commercial organization, uni fied, needed........................................... 202 G rady, H arry F ., financial-conditions in vestigation, England and th e Conti n e n t......................................................... 87 Crayfish (dogfish) cam paign and controversy 213 Greenhouses, commercial, census..................... 135 Groves, H . Lawrence, agricultural-m achinery investigations............................................. 86 G uam , Fou rteen th Census................................. 143 Gulf coast, surveys n eed ed ................................. 176 tidal observations.............................................. 172 ; | i ! I j j H anch, Charles C.. autom obile investigations. 86 H awaii. Fou rteen th Census............................... X43 H ealth Index, W eekly, Census B ureau pub lication.......................................................... 130 H eat m easurem ents, S tandards B u re au ......... 1x1 H erring, Scotch-cured, 19:7 and 1918............. 153 H ertz, N orm an L., leather investigations, E u ro p e .......................................................... 87 Honolulu, lighthouse depot, urgent n e e d .. . . 163 m agnetic observatory....................................... 173 H ull and boiler construction, centralization of approval n eed ed .................................... 384 H untington, Dr. W illiam C., commercialattache a ctiv ities........................................ 81,92 H urd, R obert E., commercial activities......... 84 H ydrography, A tlantic coast .......................... 172 Pacific coast........................................................ X72 ship, described................................................... 174 su m m ary............................................................. 172 use of aeroplane................................................. 379 ! Increase of com pensâtiou, appropriations, and ex penditures........ ........................... 23? 2 7 , 39» 30 ; unexpended balances....................................... 34 ; In d ian a S ta te commission, coal-gas tests, S tan d ard s B u re au .................................... 109 j In d u strial Board, allotm ent and expendi tures, national security and defense fu n d ..................................................... 23,30 p rin tin g and binding, expenditures, na tional security and defense fu n d ............ 60 sum m ary of w ork.................................... 68 23 , » IN D E X . Page. ind u strial Cooperation Service, allotm ent and expenditures, national security and defense fu n d ........................................... 23,30.69 cooperation. Book Publishers' Association. 70 Forest Products Service, A griculture De p a rtm e n t............................................... 69 National C redit M en’s A ssociation.......... 70 S tandards B u reau .................................. 69 W ar D ep artm en t................................... 69 need for continuance................................. 73 printing and binding, expenditures, na tional security and defense fu n d .......... 60 publication w o rk ........................................ 61 sum m ary of w ork....................................... 69 Industrial laboratory, new , S tandards B ureau 124 Industrial reconstruction, Standards Bureau cooperation........................................... 126 In dustrial safety codes. S tandards Bureau conference............................................. 110 Industrial standards series, publication........ 99 Influenza epidemic, Census Bureau inves tigatio n.................................................. 133 Inspections, rad io ....................................... 196 steel plates for boilers, Steam boat-Inspec tion Service................................................. 183 vessels, Steam boat-Inspection Service........ 183 Integrating counter, tabulating device. Cen sus B ureau......................... 143 Interallied C ontingent Commission, Paris, cooperation of commercial a ttach és. . . . 80 Interallied Parliam entary Conference, Lon don, cooperation of com m ercial a t tachés ........................................................... 79 Interallied Trade Committee, cooperation of commercial a tta ch é s.................................. 81 Internal R evenue B ureau, contribution, fuel and salary.................................................... 11 cooperation of N avigation B ureau................ 201 International Conference on Safety of Life a t Sea, recom m endations.............................. 194 International High Commission, close co operation needed w ith Commerce De p a rtm e n t...................................................... 204 International Radiotélégraphie Conference .. 198 International S tatistical Y ear Book, Census B ureau publication............................. 134 In terstate Commerce Commission, close co operation needed w ith Commerce De p a rtm e n t.................... \ .............................. 203 Isis, Coast and Geodetic Survey vessel, op era tio n s..................................................... 171,180 Jones, Chester Lloyd, commercial-attaché activ ities................................................ 81 Justice D epartm ent, cooperation of Census B ureau .................................................... 136 K ennedy, P h ilip B., appointed director. For eign and Domestic Commerce B ureau. 79 commercial-attaché activ ities.................. 78,79 K etchikan. Alaska, lighthouse d e p o t........ 162 K ey W est. Fla., lighthouse depot, urgent need............................................ 163 Klein. D r. Julius, commercial-attaché activ itie s.......................................................... 83 Page. Labor D epartm ent, cooperation, Census B u reau .............................................................. 136 R ussiaif division. Foreign and Domestic 93 Commerce B ureau..................................... Laboratories, altitude. S tandards B u re au ... 17,113 17 aquarium . Fisheries B u re au .......................... industrial. Standards B ureau...................... 15.124 shellfish, Milford, C onn.................................... 149 L am bert conformal conic protection, p ub lications........................................................ 168 L atin America, preparation of syllabus for instructors an d s tu d e n ts .......................... 90 tra d e prom otion................................................. 99 L atin American circulars.................................... 90 L atin A merican division, cooperation, Fed eral Reserve B oard................................... 89 Food A d m in istration.................................... 89 Foreign Trade Advisers, S tate D epart m en t .......................................................... 89 Geological S u rv ey.......................................... 89 Peace Conference........................................... 89 Public Inform ation C om m ittee................. 89 Shipping B o ard............................................. 89 W ar D ep artm en t........................................... 88 W ar Trade B o ard .......................................... 89 extension recom m ended.................................. 100 sum m ary of w ork.............................................. 88 Launch hydrography, su m m ary ...................... 172 Launches, wire-drag, appropriations............... 177 needed.............................................................. 178 n e w .................................................................... 10 Leaf tobacco. Census B ureau reports............... 132 Leather, aquatic sources...................................... 159 S tandards Bureau studies............................... 120 Leaves of absence d uring y e a r........................... 45 Legislation, boiler pressure, needed................. 186 bulkheads construction, needed.................... 199 load-line, needed................................................ 199 special. Lighthouse Service, needed............. 165 tonnage m easurem ent, needed....................... 199 Liberty Loan. Census Bureau subscriptions . 136 subscriptions, su m m ary .................................. 66 Library, D ep artm en t........................................... 6s bar Eastern division, Foreign and Domestic 91 Commerce B ureau..................................... Russian division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau..................................... 92 Standards B u reau ............................................. 102 Licenses, applicants, exam inations. *............... 185 issued, Steam boat-Inspection Service..................... 183 Life preservers tested. Steam boat-Inspection Service.......................................................... 183 Life tables. Census B ureau ................................. 133 Light, Standards Bureau studies...................... 115 Lighthouse Service, aids to navigation, Alaska, legislation recom m ended.......... 166 1910 and 1919................................................... 208 su m m ary .......................................................... 151 Virgin Islands, appropriation recom m en d e d ........................................................ 166 Lighthouse Service, allotm ent and expend itures, national security and defense appropriations and expenditures................. 28,165 IN D E X . 239 Page. Page. 183 Lighthouse Service, special w o rk s................... 167 Lives lost, accidents, vessels.............................. Lives saved b y appliances.................................. 184 vessels............................................................... 2°9 Lloyd’s Register, vessel tonnage................... 189,191 Bush Bluff light vessel, condem ned.............. 208 Load lines, legislation needed............................ 199 cooperation. N avy D e p artm e n t................... 10.159 T reasury D e p artm e n t.................................. 159 Long Island Sound, surveys, wire-drag, needed.......................................................... I77 W ar D e p artm e n t........................................... *59 Cornfield Poin t Shoal light vessel, s u n k ---208 Louisiana S tate conservation departm ent, co operation of Fisheries B ureau.................... I4s Cross R ip light vessel, destroyed................... 208 Luchars, A lexander, machine-tools investiga depots, construction and rep air..................... 162 tion, England and the C ontinent......... 87 H onolulu, urgent n eed ................................. 163 Lundquist, R. A., electrical-goods investiga K etchikan........................................................ 162 tions, South Africa and In d ia ................. 87 K ey W est, Fla., urgent n eed...................... 163 Portsm outh, V a., appropriation n e ed e d .. 163 Magnetic observatories. Coast and Geodetic Tom pkinsville. N . Y .................................. 28,162 S u rv ey ......................... i 73 208 Mailing lists, Publications D ivision................. D iam ond Shoal light vessel, s u n k ................ 63 estimates, 1921......................... 37 M arine services. D ep artm ent’s ................ 9 compared w ith appropriations, 1920......... 38 M aritim e problem ................................................. IQ3 I9a Gardenia, lighthouse tender, condem ned... 208 M aritime situation, facts..................................... gas buoys, 1910 an d 1919.................................. 208 M arkets B ureau, Agriculture D epartm ent, cooperation of statistical division. For gas shore lights, 1910 an d 1919........................ 208 eign and Domestic Commerce Bureau. personnel............................................................. 164 South D akota, cooperation of commercial printing and binding, cost.............................. 60 a tta ch é s............................................................ gs publications, sales basis................................... 164 x3a radio eq u ip m en t................................................ 163 Marriage statistics, Census B ureau...................... relation to other G overnm ent a ctiv ities. . . . 207 Marshall, W . G., industrial-m achinery inves tigations........................................................... 86 retirem ent sy stem ......................................... 164. 167 industrial-gas investigation, salaries, field....................................................... 48 M aryland, Standards B ureau................................. . 109 saving of life an d p ro p e rty .............................. 164 135 special legislation need ed ................................ 165 M aterials and commodities, war, census........ stations, returned by N a v y ............................ 15Q Materials, structural aud miscellaneous. Standards Bureau t e s t s .......................... supplies................................................................ 64 Meats, Eliot G., economic-conditions investi T hirty-F ive Foot Channel light vessel, gation, Greece................................................. 86 b u rn e d ........................................... ............ xo, 208 199 urgent needs....................................................... xg Measurement, tonnage, legislation needed__ vessels. C edar...................................................... 154 Mechanical equipm ent. Fourteenth C en su s.. 143 condition and necessity for u pkeep.......... 207 M erchant marine, supervision, Navigation B ureau.............................................................. 54 construction costs, com parisons................. 2x0 122 estim ates, appropriations n eed ed .............. 209 Metals, Standards B ureau studies........................ 149 lost and condem ned.................................. 161,208 Milford, Conn., shellfish laboratory.................... Mines B ureau, cooperation, Census B u re a u .. 19 operations.................................................... 162,707 requiring replacem ent.................................. 211 statistical division, Foreign and Domestic returned by N a v y ......................................... 159 Commerce B ureau......................................... 95 transferred to N a v y ...................................... 208 M ontavon, W illiam A., commercial attaché, unobtainable from N a v y ............................. 209 activities.............................................................. 84 unobtainable from Shipping B o ard ..................... 209 resignation.......................................................... 81 urgent needs................................................... 207 Mosquito-eating fishes, Fisheries Bureau war w ork.......................................................... 208 propagation................................................. iso Lighthouses Bureau, allotm ent and expendi Motion pictures, use in in d u s try ........................... at tures, national security and defense fund 27 Motor boats, num bering undocum ented........ 201 appropriations and expenditures............. 23,27,32 transferred b y N a v y ......................................... 201 contributions. S tate fair ex h ib its................. 65,66 Motor vehicles, equipm ent and operation ---- 63,64 m arine service.................................................... 12 Motor-vessel fleet, N avigation B ureau ............ 11 personnel, changes............................................. 4 3 > 4 4 Mussels, propagation........................................... 149 printing and binding, c o st.............................. 6o N ational Advisory Committee for A eronaut publication w o rk ............................................... 61 ics, cooperation of Standards B ureau.. 1x3 receipts................................................................. 33 tenders and vessels returned by N a v y .......... 10 N ational Association of American M anufac turers, cooperation of R ussian division, unexpended balances....................................... 35 Foreign and Domestic Commerce Bu vessels, lost an d c o n d em n ed ... ................... 10 reau ................................................................... 9 n e ed e d .............................................................. xa N ational Association of Cotton M anufactur Lights, gas shore, Lighthouse Service, 1910 ers, cooperation of Census B u re au ........ 134 and 19x9........................................................ 208 Lime, S tandards Bureau researches................. 119 N ational Association of Hosiery & K nit Goods M anufacturers, cooperation of Liquidation Commission of A rm y, coopera commercial a ttach és................................. 84 tion of commercial attachés..................... 81 f 240 IN D E X . Page. ' Page. N avigation B ureau, m otor boats, num bering N ational Association of M anufacturers, coop undocum ented............................................ 201 eration of Census B u reau........................ 19 j N ational B ank of Commerce, cooperation of transferred by N a v y ..................................... 20X Russian division, Foreign and Domestic motor-vessel fleet. •............................................ 11 ,74 200 Commerce B u reau .................................... 93 j navigation laws, enforcem ent......................... officers and m en, shipped and discharged.. 195 N ational City B ank, New York, cooperation overcrowding vessels, prevention................. 200 of Russian division, Foreign and Domes 200 tic Commerce B u reau.............................. 93 ; passengers counted............................................ N ational code, elevator safety, S tandards B u personnel, changes............................................. 4 3 »44 60 re a u ............................................................... n o j printing and binding, cost.............................. publication w o rk ............................................... 61 protection of head and eyes of industrial workers, Standards B u reau ..................... no radio communication, su m m a ry ................... 196 safeguarding machines and machine drives, radio inspections................................................ 196 196 S tandards B ureau..................................... n o 1 radio inspectors in A rm y and N a v y ............. safeguarding remote control apparatus, radio operators, exam ined and licensed---197 receipts from duties, fees, and fines'.. . 33,195,200 S tandards B u reau ..................................... no salaries, in ad eq u ate........................................... 53 N ational Credit M en’s Association, coopera shipping cleared from U nited States, 1914, tion of In d u strial Cooperation S ervice.. 70 1918,1919................................................... 191,192 N ational D ental Association, cooperation of shipping commissioners, rep o rts................... 195 Standards B ureau..................................... 105 steerage passengers to U nited States, 1915N ational Indu strial Conference Board, coop eration, Census B u reau ............................ 1919................................................................ 19 200 sum m ary of w ork.............................................. 188 commercial attach és..................................... 84 supplies................................................................ 64 N ational Lim e Association, cooperation of tonnage, American, 1914 and 1919................. 189 Standards B ureau..................................... 119 unexpended balances....................................... 34 N ational security and defense fund, allotm ent vessels, American, registered.......................... 188 and expenditures, Census B u reau..................... 27 docum ented.................................................... 189 Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey ....................... 29,181 operations.................................................. 201 Fisheries B u reau .................................. 26,151,225 N avigation laws, enforcem ent........................... 200 Foreign and Domestic Commerce Bu N avy, air service, research laboratory needed 180 reau .................................................... 24,30,60,78 Beaufort, N. C., Fisheries Bureau station, Industrial B o ard....................................... 23,60 relinquished.......................................... 145 Industrial Cooperation Service....... 23,60,61,69 Census Bureau em ployees......................... 137 Lighthouse Service................................ 27,28,162 cooperation of S tandards B u re au .............. 102,107 printing and binding......................................59,61 145 Secretary’s Office............................................ 30 j Fisheries B ureau, vessels re tu rn e d ......... Standards B u reau .......................................... 25,31 j m otor boats, transferred to Navigation B u reau .................................................... 201 Swedish and Norwegian co n tracts............. 79 ! vessels, transferred from Lighthouse Service 208 W aste-Reclamation Service.................... 23,60,61 transferrer! to Coast and Geodetic Survey 171 N atural-gas m eters, Standards B ureau in unobtainable for Lighthouse Service........ 209 spection ........................................................ 105 I N aval radio tender S a tu rn ................................... 154 ; Woods Hole. Mass., Fisheries Bureau sta tion relin q u ish ed................................. 145 N avigation aids, A laska.................................. 160,166 N avy D epartm ent, appropriations, shipbuild su m m a ry ......... 159 in g ............................................................ 207 N avigation B ureau, appropriations and ex cooperation, Census B ureau........................ 136,143 penditures.............................................. 23,26,31 Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey ................... 181 bulkheads, construction, legislation needed 199 Lighthouse Service.................................. 10,159 commissioned officers, losses.......................... 56 Standards B u reau ...................................... 108,117 com puters, additional n eed............................ 57 Fisheries Bureau, vessels re tu rn e d .......... 11 cooperation, collectors of custom s................. 200 Lighthouse Bureau, tenders and vessels re Internal R evenue B ureau........................... 201 tu rn e d ..................................................... 10 Standards B u reau ......................................... 19S supervision, radio stations........................ 196 Steam boat-Inspection Service..................... 200 j troop transports, tonnage.......................... 188 estimates, 1921..................................................... 37 j Needs, urgent. D ep artm ent.......................... 19 compared w ith appropriations, 1920......... 39 m e t......................... 20 Internal Revenue Bureau, contribution, New E ngland coast, wire-drag surveys, fuel and salary............................................ 11 needed..................................................... 177 Norwegian contracts, allotm ent, national se International Conference on Safety of Life at curity and defense fu n d ...................... 79 Sea, recom m endations.............................. 194 International Radiotélégraphie Conference. 198 Observatories, Cheltenham , M d.................. 173 load lines, legislation need ed ......................... 199 Honolulu. H aw aii........................................ 173 m arine service.................................................... 12 magnetic. Coast and Geodetic S urvey.......... 173 m aritim e problem ............................................. 193 Sitka. A laska................................................. 173 m aritim e situation, facts.................... 192 tidal. Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey ............ 172 m easurem ent, tonnage, legislation n eed ed .. 199 Tucson, A riz................................................. 173 m erchant m arine, supervision....................... 54 Vieques, P. R ............................................... 173 i 24I IN D E X . Page. Office force, Fou rteen th Census, exam inations 142 Official Register of U nited States, abolition re c o m m e n d ed ................................................ 67 preparations for p ublication........................... 132 Oils, Census Bureau statistics............................ 133 Okmulgee C ounty. Okla., population, special census............................................................... 133 O ptical glass, S tandards Bureau stu d ies........ 113 O ttaw a C ounty, Okla., population, special census............................................................... 133 Overcrowding vessels, p rev en tio n ....................... 200 Oxholm, Axel H ., lum ber-m arkets investiga tions .............................................................. 85 Pacific cable, situ a tio n ........................................ 21 Pacific coast, hydrographic w o rk ..................... 172 surveys n eeded...................................................... 176 Panam a Canal, cooperation of Standards B ureau.......................................................... 120 Fourteenth Census............................................... 143 surveys, wire-drag, needed............................. 178 Paper, Standard s B ureau te sts............................ 120 Passengers, counted on steam ers......................... 200 P atterson (tem porarily renam ed U . S. S. Forw ard), Coast and Geodetic Survey vessel, operations................................... 171,181 Peace Conference, cooperation, Census B ureau 136 L atin A merican division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u reau...................... 89 Pension B ureau, cooperation of Census B u re a u ............................................................... 134 Pensioners’ ages, Census B ureau searches___ 134 Personnel, A ssistant Secretary of Commerce, additional, needed..................................... 20 Census B u re au ................................................... 14* changes during y e a r......................................... 42,49 Coast and Geodetic Survey, inadequate salaries.......................................................... 56 editorial clerks, additional, needed............... 62 employees, in A rm y and N a v y ..................... 180 promotion. D ep artm en t’s policy............... 4 4 / 4 7 relief association............................................. 66 retirem ent of su p eran n u ated...................... 46 Fisheries Bureau, inadequate salaries......... 52 Foreign and Domestic Commerce Bureau, 56 employees, additional, needed........... inadequate salaries.................................... 55 leaves of absence during y e a r................. 45 Lighthouse Service........................................... 164 field salaries..................................................... 48 N avigation Bureau, commissioned officers, losses.............................................................. 56 com puters, additional, needed................... 57 inadequate salaries........................................ 53 salaries, entrance in ad eq u ate......................... 47 increase of $240 g ra n te d ................................ 48 S tandards B ureau, changes during year . . . 102 technical staff, inadequate salaries........... 50 losses............................................................. 49 Steam boat-Inspection Service, inadequate salaries.......................................................... 52 Philippi, J. E ., commercial-attach6 activ ities. 83 Poland R epublic, cooperation of Russian division, Foreign an d Domestic Com merce B u re au ............................................. 93 P o rt privileges, fishing vessels........................... 8 140261— 19----- 16 Page. Porto Rico, F o u rteen th Census............................ 143 surveys, wire-drag, needed................................. 17* Portsm outh, V a., lighthouse depot, appro priation needed.............................................. 163 Post allowances. Foreign and Domestic Com merce B ureau, recom m ended................. 10« Post Office D epartm ent, cooperation, Census B ureau.......................................................... 136 foreign-tariffs division, Foreign and Do mestic Commerce B ureau........................ 98 Power lighter, Fisheries B u re au .......................... 154 Power P la n t Engineering, cooperation of Census B u reau ............................................ 134 Precise levels ru n .................................................. 173 Pribilof Islands, adm inistrative recommen dations.......................................................... X54 A laskan seal h erd .............................................. 15s tur-seal rep o rts.................................................... 153 power lighter, Fisheries B ureau.................... 154 Price Comparisons, International, publica tio n ................................................................ 6j Printing a n d binding, allotm ent and expend itu re s ............................................................. 23,59 national security an d defense fu n d ........... 59 estimates, 1921.................................................... 41 compared w ith appropriations, 1920......... 4c publications, d istrib u tio n ................................ 62,63 uncom pleted w ork......................................... 59 Prom otion of employees. D epartm ent’s policy 44,47 Public H ealth Service, cooperation, Census B ureau.......................................................... 131 Fisheries B u reau ........................................... 15« Public Inform ation Committee, cooperation, Latin American division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u re au ................. 89 statistical division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau..................................... 9S Public-service commissions, cooperation of Standards B u reau ...................................... 10Í Public utilities, research work and testing. Standards B u reau ............................... 10Í Publications, Census B u re au ............................. 128, 129,130,131,132,1 3 3 »*3 4 , *3 5 »*37 Coast an d Geodetic S u rv ey ............................ 16$ Fisheries B u re au ........................................... 15°» * 54 Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau. 85,84 Lighthouse Service, sales basis...................... 164 sold by Superintendent of D ocum ents, 1918 and 1919.......................................... 62,63 Standards B u reau ............................................. 101, 103,109, xzo,zix.1x3,116,xs8, t j f Publications Division, allotm ent and expend itu res............................................................. *3 »5 * national security an d defense fu n d ........... 59 editorial clerks, additional, needed............... 6* editorial w ork..................................................... 6» estimates, 1921.................................................... 4* compared w ith appropriations, 1920......... 4« publications, d istrib u tio n ............................... 62,63 sum m ary, by bureaus................................... 61 uncom pleted w ork......................................... §9 R adio R adio R adio R adio communication, sum m ary of w o t Ic ---equipm ent, Lighthouse Service............ inspections................................................. inspectors in A rm y and N a v y .............. 199 163 *96 196 242 IN D E X . Page. R adio operators, exam ined and licensed........ 197 R adio Service, printing and binding, cost__ 60 supplies................................................................ 64 R adiom etry, Standards Bureau stu d ies........ 117 R adium . Standards Bureau te sts ..................... no Railroad A dm inistration, close cooperation needed w ith Commerce D e p a rtm e n t... 204 cooperation. Census B u reau........................... 137 S tandards B u reau ......................................... 103 R astall, W . H ., industrial-m achinery investi gation, P a r E a s t............................................. 87 Receipts, Census B u reau .................................... 33 Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey ............................ 33 Fisheries B u re au ............................................... 33 Lighthouses B u reau ......................................... 33 miscellaneous...................................................... 33 N avigation B u reau ............................ 33, 7 4 >195» 20° navigation duties, fees, and fines............... 195,200 Secretary’s Office............................................... 33 S tandard s B u reau ............................................. 33 Steam boat-Inspection Service........................ 33 Reconstruction, im provem ents, Steam boatInspection Service..................................... 184 industrial, Standards Bureau cooperation.. 126 survey, Census Bureau cooperation............. 137 R ed Cross, contributions.................................... 66 Register, Official, Census Bureau prepara tio n s.............................................................. 132 R egistrants, ages. Census Bureau tran scrip ts. 136 Registration, b irth an d death, Federal legis lation needed............................................... 130 Regulations, Supervising Inspectors’ Board 184,186 Relief Association, Em ployees’......................... 66 Relief iu Near E ast, co n trib u tio n s................... 66 Relief Light Vessel No. 51, s u n k ....................... 10 Religious bodies, Census Bureau in q u iry ----129 Research division. Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau, sum m ary of w o rk .. 97 R etirem ent, superannuated em ployees........... 46 system , Lighthouse Service........................ *64,167 R hineland High Commission, coooperation of commercial a ttach és............................. 80 R iver and H arbor im provem ents, appropria 207 tio n ..............r ................................................ R oberts by-product coke oven, national security and defense fu n d ........................ 25 Roosevelt, Fisheries B ureau vessel, con dem ned an d so ld...................................... 11,154 R osenthal, Samuel W ., jewelry investiga tions ............................................................... 86 R ubber. S tan d ard s Bureau te sts...................... 120 R ussian-A m erican Com m ittee for F a r East, cooperation of Russian division. Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u re au .......... 93 R ussian division, cooperation, American R us sian Cham ber of C ommerce..................... 93 cham bers of commerce................................. 93 L abor D e p artm e n t........................................ 93 N ational Association of A merican M anu facturers.................................. 93 N ational Bank of Commerce...................... 93 N ational City Bank, New Y o rk ................ 93 Poland R ep u b lic............................................ 93 Russian-A m erican C om m ittee for F a r E a s t............................................................... 93 R ussian Economic L eague.......................... 93 Page. R ussian division, Foreign and Dom estic Com merce B ureau, cooporation, R ussian E m b assy ...................................................... Shipping B oard.............................................. S tate D e p artm e n t.......................................... W ar D ep artm en t........................................... W ar T rade B o ard.......................................... extension recom m ended.................................. lib ra ry .................................................................. sum m ary of w ork.............................................. R ussian Economic League, cooperation of R ussian division, Foreign and Domes tic Commerce B ureau .............................. R ussian Em bassy, cooperation of R ussian division, Foreign and Domestic Com merce B u reau .............................................. R u tte r, F ran k R ., commercial-attachd activi tie s ................................................................. 93 93 93 93 93 100 92 92 93 93 8a Sacramento, steam er, forfeited................... 196 S t. Louis, Mo., sealskins auction............... 355 Salaries, entrance, in ad eq u ate.................... 47 Fisheries B u re au ............................................... 52 Jo in t Congressional Commission on R e classification, cooperation of D epart m e n t....................................................... 38,47 Lighthouse S e rv ic e .................................... 4$ Standards B u re au ...................................... 50 Steam boat-Inspection Service....................... 52 Sales, charts, Coast and Geodetic S urvey ___ 33 seal, fox, and other sk in s............................... 33,155 Salmon, canned, in d u s try .................................. 152 hum pback, M aine...................................... 146 Pacific, Fisheries B ureau investigations.. . 149 sockeye, fisheries tre a ty ............................ 9 Samoa, Fou rteen th C ensus.......................... 143 Sanger, J. W ., advertising m ethods, s tu d ie s.. 86 S aturn, naval radio te n d e r................................. 154 Saving of life an d property, Lighthouse Service................................................... 164 Schedules, Fourteenth Census, prep aratio n .. 142 Schurz, W illiam L., foreign-trade investiga tions, Bolivia and Paraguay ............ 87 Seal census, 19x8 and 19x9............................ 155 Seal, fox, and other skins, sales.................. 33 Seal herd. A lask an ...................... 155 Seattle, W ash., Fisheries Bureau hearing___ 152 Secretary’s instructions, Fourteenth Census supervisors........................................ 140,141 Secretary’s Office, allotm ent, national secur ity and defense fu n d .......................... 23 appropriations an d expenditures.............. -. 23,30 estimates, 1921............................................. 38 compared w ith appropriations, 1920. 38 personnel, changes...................................... 43 p rinting and binding, cost....................... 60 publication w o rk ........................................ 61 receipts.......................................................... 33 unexpended balances................................ 34 Seining parties. Fisheries B ureau, v a lu e .. . . 75 Shellfish, Fisheries Bureau, investigations... 149 laboratory. Milford. C onn..................... 149 Ship hydrography, described...................... 174 su m m ary ...................................................... 172 Shipbuilding, appropriations, Em ergency Fleet Corporation............................... 207 N avy D ep artm en t.................................. 207 Census Bureau re p o rt....................................... 129 INDEX. Page. Shipping Board, close cooperation needed w ith Commerce D ep artm en t................. 203 cooperation. Census B u re au ................ 129,135» 136 commercial attachés. Foreign and Domes tic Commerce B ureau............................ 83 F a r Eastern division. Foreign and Domes tic Commerce B ureau............................ 92 foreign-investigations division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u reau---85 L atin A merican division. Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u reau ............... 89 R ussian division. Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau.................................. 93 Standards B ureau ......................................... 1x9 statistical division, Foreign an d Domestic Commerce B ureau.................................. 94 tra d e commissioners. Foreign an d Domes tic Commerce B ureau............................ 86 vessels, tonnage................................................. x88 unobtainable for Lighthouse Service___ 209 Shipping cleared from U nited States, 1914, 1918, 1919.............................................. 191,192 Shipping commissioners, reports............... 195 Sim m ons. Roger E.> lum ber-m arkets investi gations .......................................................... 85 Sinclair Refining Co., cooperation of Census B ureau................................................... 134 Sitka, Alaska, m agnetic observatory........ 173 Sm art, Oliver M., electrical-m arkets investi gations .......................................................... 86 Sm ith, Philip S., electrical-goods investiga tions .............................................................. 86 Snow , Chauncey Dcpew, eommercial-attaché activities................................................ 80 Solicitor's Office, sum m ary of w ork........... 67 Southw estern Electrical & Gas Association, cooperation of Census B u reau......... 134 S tandards B ureau, aeronautical instrum ents, te sts......................................................... 122 a ltitude laborato ry ..................................... 112 appropriations and expenditures........... 23,24,30 cem ent, te sts................................................ 119 ceramics, studies......................................... 125 chem istry, te sts........................................... 118 coal-gas tests, In d ian a S tate com m ission.. 109 contributions. S tate fair ex h ib its........... 65,66 cooperation, A ir Mail Service.................. 107 American Leather Research Laboratory. 120 A merican Medical Association............. 1x6 General S upply C om m ittee................ 120,126 In d ustrial Cooperation S ervice............ 69 industrial reconstruction....................... 126 N ational A dvisory Com m ittee for Aero nautics ....................................................... 1x3 N ational D ental Association................ 105 N ational Lim e A ssociation................... 1x9 N avigation B u re au ................................. 198 N avy D epartm en t...................... 102,107, xo8,1x7 P anam a C anal.......................................... 120 public-service commissions................... 108 R ailroad A dm in istratio n....................... 103 Shipping B oard....................................... 119 T anners' C ouncil..................................... 120 W ar D epartm en t..................................... 102, 106,107,108,1x6, x i8 ,120, xai, 122,126 dynam om eter and a ltitu d e laboratory, new 17 243 Page. S tan d ard s B ureau, electrical safety code---i to S tan d ard s B ureau, electricity division, w ork. 106 electrolysis surveys........................................... xxo estim ates. 192X................................................... 3 7 . 4 ° com pared w ith appropriations, 1920........ 4° fire-resistive te sts............................................... 112 h e at m easurem ents........................................... 111 industrial-gas investigation, M aryland....... 109 in d u strial lab o rato ry .........................................15*124 in d u strial safety codes..................................... xxo leather, stu d ies................................................... 120 lib r a r y ................................................................ 102 light, stu d ies....................................................... 115 lime, researches................................................. 119, m aterials, stru ctu ral an d miscellaneous, te sts............................................................... 119* m etals, stu d ies................................................... 122n ational code, elevator safety........................ xxo protection of head and eyes of industrial w orkers......................................................... ixo safeguarding m achines and m achine drives........................................................... no safeguarding rem ote control a p p a ra tu s .. xxo n ational security an d defense fund, allot m e n t and expenditures............................ 25,31 natural-gas m eters, inspection....................... 105 optical glass, studies......................................... 1x3 organization........................................................ xoa paper, te sts.......................................................... 120 personnel, changes...................................- 43,44,102 p rin tin g and binding, cost.............................. 60 public u tilities, research w ork axtd testing 108 publications........................................................ 61 X02, X03,109, n o , xxx, 1x3,1x6,118,125 radiom etry, stu d ie s.......................................... 117 rad iu m te sts ....................................................... xxo receipts................................................................. 33 Tubber, te s ts ....................................................... 120 street lighting, studies..................................... 109 technical staff, inadequate salaries............... 50 losses................................................................. 49 telephone service, studies............................... 109 textiles, te sts...................................................... 121 therm om eters, te sts .......................................... xxx timepieces, te sts................................................. X05 unexpended balances....................................... 34 urgent n eed s....................................................... 19 w ar w ork............................................................. 106 w eights and m easures, annual conference.. 103 division, w ork................................................ 103 S tate D epartm ent, cooperation of Foreign an d Domestic Commerce B ureau___93,204 S ta te institutions, statistical directory. Cen sus B ureau re p o rt.................................... 134 States, financial statistics. Census Bureau rep o rt............................................................ 131 Stations, lighthouse, returned b y N a v y ........ 159 Statistical A bstract, p ublication...................... 96,97 Statistical directory of S ta te institutions, Census B ureau re p o rt............................. 134 S tatistical division. Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau, activities................. 94 cooperation. Alien P roperty C ustodian.. 95 C entral Bureau of Planning and Sta tistic s........................................................ 95 Council of N ational Defense................... 95 Custom s Service, T reasury D epartm ent 96 INDEX. 244 Page. S tatistical division, Foreign an d Domestic Commerce, cooperation, B ureau Di rector General of R ailroads.................. 95 Food A d m in istratio n............................... 95 Geological S u rv ey ...................................... 95 M arkets Bureau, A griculture D epart m e n t.......................................................... 95 Mines B u re au ............................................. 95 Public Inform ation C om m ittee.............. 95 Shipping B o ard .......................................... 94 W ar Industries B oard.............................. 95 W ar M inerals C om m ittee........................ 95 W ar Trade B o ard ...................................... 95 Steam boat-Inspection Service, accidents on vessels........................................................... 183 appropriations and ex p en d itu res............ 23,25,31 boiler pressure, legislative am endm ents recom m ended............................................. 186 contributions, S tate fair ex h ib its.................. 65,66 cooperation of N avigation B u re au ............... 200 efficiency certificates, issued.......................... 183 estim ates, 1921................................................... 37,39 compared w ith appropriations, 1920........ 39 hull and boiler construction, centralization of approval n eeded.................................... 184 licenses, applicants, exam inations............... 185 issued...................................................................... 183 life preservers tested ......................................... 183 lives lost and sav e d .......................................... 183 organization........................................................ 182 personnel, changes ..................................... 43,44,182 printing and binding, co st.............................. 60 publication w o rk ............................................... 61 receipts................................................................. 33 reconstruction im provem ents......................... 184 salaries, inadequate ........................................ 52 steel plates for boilers, inspections................ 183 sum m ary of w o rk .............................................. 183 Supervising Inspectors' Board, regulations 184,186 supervising inspectors, civil-service classi fication recom m ended.............................. 186 supplies............................................. 64 unexpended balances............................ 34 urgent needs....................................................... vessels, inspected an d certificated................ 20 183 Steel plates for boilers, inspections, Steam boat-Inspection Service.................... Steel tonnage, American ships, 1914 and 1919. Steerage passengers to U nited States, 191519 19 ............................................................................... Stock and shipping section, summary of work............................................ Strachan, William M., tropical-products in vestigations................................... Stranded fishes rescued............................ 183 189 200 64 86 147 Subscriptions, annual, copies and receipts. . . 62,63 Liberty loan. Census Bureau w o rk .............. 136 sum m ary .......................................................... 66 Superannuation and retirem en t........................ 46 Supervisors, Fourteenth Census, test exam i n a tio n ............................................................ 140 Supervising Inspectors’ Board, regulations. 184,186 Supervising inspectors’ Steam boat-Inspection Service, civil-service classification rec om m ended ................................................... 186 Supplies Division, printing and binding, c o st................................................................ 60 sum m ary of w o rk .............................................. 65 Page. Suprem e Economic Council, cooperation of commercial a ttach és.................................. 80,81 Surveyor, Coast and Geodetic Survey vessel, operations................................................. 171,180 Surveys, A laskan waters, needed ................. 176,178 hydrographic, revision ................................... 172 sum m ary of w o rk .......................................... 172,181 wire-drag needed, Alaska ............................. 178 Florida coast................................................... 178 Long Island S ound........................................ 177 New England coast....................................... 177 Panam a C anal................................................ 178 Porto R ico....................................................... 178 Virgin Islan d s................................................. 178 Susquehanna R iver, Md., fish hatchery closed............................................................. 148 Swedish contracts, allotm ent, national secur ity and defense fu n d .................................. 79 Tanners’ Council, cooperation of S tandards B ureau.......................................................... 120 Tariff Commission, cooperation of Census B ureau.......................................................... 134 Taxes, collected b y N avigation B u re au ..................... 11 Telephone and Telegraph A dm inistration, cooperation of Census B ureau ................ 136 Telephone service, S tandards Bureau, studies........................................................... 109 Tenders, lighthouse, returned b y N avy De p a rtm e n t...................................................... 10 Textiles, Stan d ard s Bureau te sts...................... 121 Therm om eters. S tandards Bureau te sts......... nr T h irty -F iv e Foot C hannel L ight Vessel No. 45, b u rn e d .................................................. 10,208 Thom pson, E rw in W ., eommercial-attaehd activities....................................................... 80 Tidal observations. Coast and Geodetic Sur vey, su m m ary ............................................. 172 Timepieces, S tandards Bureau te sts ................ 105 Tobacco, leaf, Census Bureau reports ............ 132 Tom pkinsville, N . Y ., lighthouse depot, allotm ent and expenditures, national security and defense fund ...................... 28 im provem ents................................................. 162 Tonnage, A merican vessels, 1914-1919............. 188 Shipping Board vessels.................................... 188 steel and wooden ships, A merican, 1914 and 19*9................................................................. 189 troop transports, N avy D e p artm e n t....................... 188 W ar D ep artm ent........................................... 188 w orld’s .................................................................. 189 Topography, use of aeroplane............................ 179 Trade commissioners, cooperation w ith A merican Expeditionary Force............. 85 investigations..................................................... 78 vital w ork............................................................ 85 S e e a l s o Commerical agents. Trade, foreign, to tals............................................ 77 Trade-inform ation division. Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau ................ 93 Trade-m arks, legislation and p ira c y ................ 98 Trade of U nited States w ith W orld, publica tio n .................................................................... 96 T ransportation, officers and employees, families an d effects.................................. 58 rem ains............................................................. 58 w ater, Census B ureau in q u iry ....................... 129 Travel allowance, recom m endations............... 7 INDEX. Page. Treasury D epartm ent, cooperation of Lighthouse Service............................................... X5 9 T reaty, p o rt privileges, fishing vessels............ 8 sockeye salm on fisheries.................................. 9 Triangulation work, su m m ary .......................... 172 Troop transports, W ar and N avy D epart m ents, tonnage.................................................. 188 Tucson, Ariz., m agnetic o bservatory.............. 173 Tulsa C ounty, Okla., population, special census............................................................ 133 U ndocum ented m otor boats, num b erin g....... U nexpended balances, Alaska fisheries service b y b ureaus...................................................... 1913-1919.............................................................. U nited States Cham ber of Commerce, Buenos A ires.............................................................. U nited States Sugar Equalization Board, co operation of commercial attach és......... U nited W ar W ork Cam paign, contributions. 201 35 3 4 » 35 35 83 84 66 Van N orm an, Louis E., trade-conditions in vestigations, R u m a n ia ............................. 86 Vessels, accidents.................................................. 183 American, registered................ 188 tonnage, 1914-1919......................................... 188 Coast and Geodetic Survey, condensed sta te m e n t................................................. 171,172 hydrographic su m m ary ............................... 172 operations........................................................ 180 returned b y N a v y ..................................... 170» i 7 t transferred to N a v y ...................................... 180 urgent needs................................................... 174 construction, cost comparisons...................... 210 N avy D epartm en t......................................... 207 D epartm ent’s ..................................................... 9 docum ented...................... 189 Fisheries B ureau, returned b y N a v y .......... 145 Roosevelt....................................................... 11,154 inspected and certificated............................... 183 Lighthouse Service, appropriations............. 209 C edar................................................. '. ............ 154 condition and necessity for u p k e ep .......... 207 estim ates, appropriations n eeded.............. 209 lost and condem ned............................ 10,161,208 12 needed.............................................................. operations.................................................... 162,207 requirin g replacem ent.................................. 211 returned b y N a v y ....................................... 10.159 transferred to N a v y ...................................... 208 urgent n eeds................................................... 207 war w ork.......................................................... 208 m otor fleet, Navigation B u reau .................... 11 Navigation Bureau, operations..................... 201 N avy, transferred to Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey .......................................................... 173 unobtainable for Lighthouse Service....... 209 overcrowding, p rev en tio n ............................... 200 passengers coun ted ........................................... 200 power lighter, Pribilof Islan d s....................... 154 purchase and construction, Emergency Fleet C orporation...................................... 207 Sacram ento, forfeited....................................... 196 S hipping Board, tonnage................................ 188 unobtainable for Lighthouse Service....... 209 tonnage, Lloyd’s R egister....................... 189,191 Victory Memorial Building, c o n trib u tio n s... 66 Vieques, P . R ., m agnetic o bservatory............ Virgin Islands, navigation aids, appropriation recom m ended............................................. surveys, wire-drag, n e e d e d ............................. V ital statistics, Census B ureau reports........... 245 Page. 173 166 178 130 W alker, John R ., lum ber-m arkets investiga tio n s .................................................................. 8s W ar D ep artm en t, cooperation, Census B u re a u ............................................. i 3 4 >136,1 3 7 >*43 Coast an d Geodetic S u rv ey ......................... 181 commercial a tta ch é s..................................... 79 foreign-investigations division, Foreign an d Dom estic Commerce B u re au .......... 85 In d u strial Cooperation Service...................... 69 L atin A merican division, Foreign and Dom estic Commerce B ureau.................. 88 Lighthouse Service....................................... 159 Russian division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u reau..................................... 93 S tandards B u reau ........ 106,108,116,118,120,126 troop transports, tonnage................................ x88 W ar Finance Corporation, close cooperation needed w ith Commerce D e p a rtm e n t... 203 W ar Industries Board, cooperation. Census B u reau........... ......................................... 135» *37 foreign-investigations division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u re au .......... 85 statistical division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u reau..................................... 95 W ar Minerals Committee, cooperation of sta tistical division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B u reau..................................... 95 W ar Service Com m ittee of R ubber Ind u stry of U nited States, cooperation of Census B u reau .......................................................... 137 W ar Trade Board, cooperation, Census B ureau.................................................. 135» * 37 commercial attachés, Foreign and Do mestic Commerce B ureau............. 79» 80,81,83 foreign-investigations division, Foreign 85 and Domestic Commerce B ureau......... L atin A merican division, Foreign and Domestic Commerce B ureau.................. 89 Russian division. Foregin and Domestic Commerce B u reau ..................................... 93 statistical division. Foreign and Domes tic Commerce B ureau............................... • 95 W ar work, Census B ureau.............................. 135,136 Coast and Geodetic S u rv ey ........................ 180 commercial attachés, Foreign and Domes tic Commerce B ureau............................... 83 S tandards B u re au ............................................. 106 W aste paper, disposal, investigation............... 71 W aste-R eclam ation Service, cooperation w ith Wool Stock G raders' A ssociation.......... 71 need for continuance........................................ 73 printing and b in d in g ........................................ 60 publication w o rk ............................................... 61 sum m ary of w ork.............................................. 70 W aste-reclamation work, allotm ent, national security and defense fu n d ................... 23,30,60 W aterways, developm ent u rg e d ....................... 67 W eekly H ealth In d ex , Census Bureau pub lication.......................................................... 130 W eights an d measures, annual conference. . . 103 Standards Bureau d ivision............................. 103 246 INDEX. Page. Wells, Leslie C., d evastated regions, France, to u r................................................................ 86 W hitham , Paul P.. transportation an d port facilities, China, investigation................ 87 Wiggles w orth, H enry, chemical industries, surv ey ........................................................... 86 W illiams, Pierce C., commerical-attachd a ctiv ities....................................................... 80 W ire-drag launches, appropriations................. ‘ 1 7 7 needed..................................................................... 178 n e w ............... 10 W ire-drag surveys, needed, A lask a..................... 178 Florida coast................................................... 177 L o n g I s l a n d S o u n d ......................................................... 177 coast.......................................... Panam a C anal.................................................... Porto R ico.......................................................... 177 N e w E n g la n d W ire-drag surveys, needed, Virgin Is la n d s... su m m ary .............................................................. war w ork.............................................................. W ood, Charles P., industrial-m achinery in vestigations .................................................. W ooden tonnage, American ships, 1914 and 1919................................................................ Woods Hole. Mass., Fisheries B ureau station, r e l i n q u i s h e d b y N a v y ......................................... Wool Stock G raders’ Association, coopera tion of W aste-Reclam ation Service....... W orld Cotton Conference, cooperation of commençai attachés, Foreign and Do m estic Commerce B ureau........................ 178 Young, A rth u r N., financial conditions, Spain, investigations................................ 178 O Page. 178 172 183 86 ^89 145 73 84 86
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