under the previous fiscal year by 247,885 copies with a saving of $13,633.68. This substantial reduction in expenditures for photostat work, for the year, speaks well for the economies and the efficient method of operation in practice. The central office stock subdivision was reorganized and the personnel reduced from 49 to 25 employees and at the same time the filling of requisitions was expedited. It was deemed advisable to invite the attention of the Bureau of the Budget to the savings made in this subdivision due to utilizing by-products and obsolete and used stock, which amounted to $3,371.13 for the year. Central office operates 17 motor vehicles, most of which are assigned to particular duties, but passenger cars, other than those so assigned to doctor and nurses, are operated for official emergency needs. Three passenger cars and three trucks were discontinued during the past year. A constant check is made on the necessity for all long distance telephone calls in central office and to restrict the use of telephones to official business. As the result of such activities the cost of long distance telephone tolls was reduced from $2,638.50 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1923, to $231.85 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1924; while the cost of telephone calls through the Washington City central during similar periods was reduced from $6,615.54 to $5,177.25. The maintenance and operation of the Arlington Building containing over 575,000 square feet of floor space was conducted efficiently and economically. The cost of housing each employee being only $35.62 per annum, which compares most favorably with the cost per employee in other representative Government buildings. Additional office space amounting to 1,400 square feet was procured by the conversion of space formerly used as rest rooms. By closely consolidating files and stores in the second subbasement approximately two-thirds of the first basement was released for the use of the new adjustment compensation division. The annual inventory of all property in central office, valued at $1,500,000, was arranged and conducted by the property custodian and property records are maintained whereby a perpetual inventory is available at all times. The supervision of the watch force was placed directly under the chief clerk as a result of experiences making such action extremely necessary. Visitors to the bureau have been handled courteously; order maintained; property and records safeguarded; and business was carried on in an orderly manner. MAIL SUBDIVISION The mail subdivision has the responsibility of sorting, opening, reading and classifying all premium remittance and nonremittance bearing correspondence, registered mail, special delivery mail, telegrams and radiograms, and the routing and dispatching of such correspondence, both official and personal, to the various organizations of the bureau. The translation of all foreign mail received and sent out and the verification of all foreign addresses is done by the mail subdivision. The following report is submitted showing the amount of mail and correspondence handled and the work completed by the special units: WORK REPORT OF SPECIAL UNITS Term remittances, received, read through, numericalized, and dispatched. Government life remittances, received, read through, numericalized, and dispatched.. Total amount of money received, in payment of term and con verted insurance, as a refund and returned checks... General orders, etc., distributed and delivered.. Foreign applications and addresses verified. Folding, inclosing, and mailing of special correspondence. PRINTING AND DUPLICATING SUBDIVISION PRINTING AND BINDING The total expenditures for printing and binding for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1924, were $207,016.25. Following is a detailed statement of expenditures for printing and binding: Supply division....... Total.... Adjusted compensation printing for other departments paid from Veterans' Bureau appropriation for printing and binding.. 5, 671.56 446.25 9, 473.90 12, 837. 39 15, 550. 01 1,090, 72 517.55 22, 973. 27 2,292.02 20, 429.66 667.03 1, 375. 36 385, 19 5, 933. 76 449.58 18,750. 12 15, 659.99 69, 362, 77 207, 016. 25 BLANK FORMS During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1924, 8,388 requisitions, covering a total of 74,265,000 blank forms, were received and filled. Of these, 60 per cent were distributed to field stations and the balance used in the central office. Requisitions for blank forms are carefully examined with a view to keeping the quantities issued down to actual requirements. DUPLICATING Mimeographing or multigraphing of all bureau issues, including general orders, regulations, bulletins, and other instructions, is done in the printing and duplicating subdivision. When it is regarded expedient and economical to do so small quantities of blank forms are also duplicated for use in central office. The use of the mimeograph and multigraph machines as labor-saving devices has proved to be of valuable service. BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT SUBDIVISION The building and equipment subdivision maintains and operates the Arlington Building containing over 575,000 square feet of floor space, and which is used to house central office and district No. 4 of the United States Veterans' Bureau; the offices of the Alien Property Custodian and the offices of the chief coordinator. In addition the motor transport assigned to central office is maintained and operated. The latter service during the fiscal year 1924 handled 380 tons of outgoing freight, 180 tons of incoming freight, 30 tons of outgoing express, and 10,925 sacks of outgoing mail. Passengerservice cars are operated for the use of officials in making short trips in and about the city. The carpenters completed 3,203 requests for the repair, construction, and the crating of office furniture and equipment. Four rooms formerly used as rest rooms were converted for the purpose of providing 1,400 additional square feet of office space. Requisitions numbering 1,480 were completed by the engineer, electrical, painting, and janitor forces. The laborers completed 952 miscellaneous moves involving the rearrangement of furniture and equipment. The condition of the building necessitated extensive repairs and improvements for proper care and maintenance. All exterior window frames and sashes, fire escapes, doors, and canopies were painted. The entire second and ninth floors and 57 small rooms, 9 large rooms, and 6 corridors on the other floors were painted. CENTRAL OFFICE STOCK SUBDIVISION This subdivision is charged with the responsibility of maintaining stocks of minor office supplies and furniture, and issuing same on requisitions to central office and district No. 4, and the preparation of all outgoing shipments. Field requisitions are filled only with certain articles of which there is a surplus in central office. All scratch pads used in central office are manufactured, and this, together with the utilization of by-products, obsolete and used articles has resulted in an annual saving of $3,371.13. The following statement is a compilation of the greater activities of this subdivision: During the fiscal year 1924 there were completed 9,376 requests for repairs to labor-saving machines, such as typewriters, adding machines, dictating machines, etc. Central office was furnished 462 machines and the field offices 48 machines on requisitions. In addition to this 2,327 machines were cleaned and oiled and 18,225 dictating-machine cylinders were shaved. PHOTOSTAT SECTION The reproduction of official papers, documents and tables and charts of a statistical nature, totaled 460,774 quarter sheets, at a cost of $25,342.57 for the fiscal year 1924. The expenditures for the previous year for this one service amounted to $38,976.25. Through economies in operation, reduction in personnel, and rigid supervision the substantial saving of $13,633.68 during the past year was made possible. |