GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.

The mere statement of this outline reveals to a considerable extent the character of the work done in this branch of the service. At the head of the service is the general superintendent, who is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, without term. The compensation of this official is normally $4,000 per annum, but a special provision of law fixes the compensation at $4,500 while the office is held by the present incumbent. The law provides that the general superintendent must be a person familiar with the various means employed in the Life-Saving Service for the saving of life and property.

The law provides that the general superintendent shall have "general charge of the service and of all administrative matters connected therewith." More specifically his duties as outlined by the law are as follows:

1. To supervise the organization and government of the employees of the service and prepare and revise regulations therefor as may be necessary.

2. To supervise the expenditure of all appropriations made for the support and maintenance of the service.

3. To examine the accounts of disbursements of the district superintendents and to certify the same to the accounting officers of the Treasury Department.

4. To examine the property returns of the keepers of the several stations and see that all public property thereto belonging is properly accounted for.

5. To acquaint himself as far as practicable with all means employed in foreign countries which may seem advantageously to affect the interest of the service and to cause to be properly investigated all plans, devices, and inventions for the improvement of life-saving apparatus for use at the stations which may appear to be meritorious and available.

6. To exercise supervision over the selection of sites for new stations the establishment of which may be authorized by law or for old ones the removal of which may be made necessary.

7. To prepare and submit to the Secretary of the Treasury estimates for the support of the service.

8. To collect and compile the statistics of marine disasters.

9. To submit to the Secretary of the Treasury for transmission to Congress an annual report of the expenditures of moneys appropriated for the maintenance of the Life-Saving Service and of the operations of said service during the year.

10. Upon the occurrence of any shipwreck within the scope of the operations of the Life-Saving Service to cause an investigation of all the circumstances connected with said disaster and loss of life, to be made with a view of ascertaining the cause of the disaster; and whether any of the officers or employees of the service has been guilty of neglect or misconduct in the premises.

11. To transfer the apparatus, equipment, and supplies of any one life-saving station or house of refuge to another whenever in his judgment the interests of the service may require it; and

12. To employ crews at any of the stations of the Pacific coast during such portions of the year as he may deem necessary.

It is important to note that neither the general superintendent, nor his administrative superior, the Secretary of the Treasury, has authority to establish life-saving stations; this is determined by Congress, either by special act or in the general appropriation acts for the maintenance of the service. Originally this power was largely or wholly placed in the hands of the Secretary of the Treasury. Later, however, Congress, as stated, adopted the policy of specifying the points at which stations should be maintained.

On the other hand, Congress has provided that the Secretary of the Treasury may

discontinue any life-saving or lifeboat station or house of refuge whenever in his judgment the interests of commerce and humanity no longer require its existence. (Act of May 4, 1882, sec. 2.)

Under authority of law supplementary regulations, approved by the Secretary of the Treasury and the President, have been enacted for the Life-Saving Service. These provide that the general superintendent will discharge those functions enumerated by law, as above enumerated, in addition to which he is specifically charged with the following:

He will receive and examine all papers pertaining to appointments in the LifeSaving Service and refer them to the Secretary of the Treasury, Division of Appointments-except those which, as representatives of the Civil Service Commission, the general superintendent, district superintendent, and keepers are required to refer directly to said commission-with such recommendation and indorsement as may be proper or necessary. (Sec. 22, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will determine at what stations and for what periods of time in each year, except when such periods are fixed by law, the employment of regular crews is necessary and will fix the number of men to constitute each crew. (Sec. 23, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will examine before authorization all requisitions for outfits and supplies, and in supervising the expenditure of the appropriations made for the maintenance and support of the service will have regard to the strictest economy consistent with its proper management. (Sec. 24, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will examine the estimates for funds of the district superintendents, and recommend the remittance of such amounts as he may find proper, designating the appropriations from which remittance should be made. (Sec. 25, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will examine the accounts of the disbursements of district superintendents, and will certify to the accounting officers of the department whether the expenditures are in accordance with authority. (Sec. 26, Life-Saving Service Regulations.) He will examine the quarterly reports of the inspecting officers, and take such action thereon as may be necessary. (Sec. 27, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will exercise constant vigilance over the official conduct of all the officers and employees of the service, and will cause all complaints and alleged derelictions of duty which may appear worthy of such notice to be thoroughly and impartially investigated, and will direct such further action to be taken in the premises as the interests of the service may require. (Sec. 28, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will cause to be properly investigated by the board on life-saving appliances all plans, devices, and inventions for the improvement of life-saving apparatus and equipments for the stations which may appear to be meritorious and available. (Sec. 29, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will exercise supervision over the selection of sites for new stations, the procurement of titles thereto, the preparation of plans and specifications for the stations, the obtaining of proposals for their construction, the making of contracts therefor, and the selection, purchase, and testing of their apparatus, equipment, and supplies. (Sec. 30, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will see that the investigations provided for in section 9 of the act of June 18, 1878, are thoroughly and impartially conducted by competent and disinterested persons, and for this purpose he may detail a district officer of one district to any other district or direct any other person who is subject to his official orders, or, if he deems it advisable, may request the Secretary to detail some person from some other branch of the department to perform this duty. (Sec. 31, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will receive all applications and recommendations for the award of life-saving medals authorized by law, together with the evidence in their support, and conduct all correspondence relative thereto, except such as shall involve an allowance or rejection of the applications. (Sec. 32, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He may discharge a surfman upon his own request, provided the reason given by the surfman for leaving the service is satisfactory and the request be favorably indorsed by the keeper. In case of such discharge the general superintendent will immediately advise the Secretary of the Treasury of the action taken. (Sec. 33, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

He will see that all the requirements of law relating to the Life-Saving Service are duly carried into effect and that these regulations are strictly enforced; he will from time to time make to the Secretary such recommendations looking to the promotion of the welfare of the service as his judgment and experience may suggest. (Sec. 34, Life-Saving Service Regulations.)

ASSISTANT GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.

The organic act makes provision, also, for an assistant general superintendent who is appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury upon the recommendation of the general superintendent. He assists in the work of supervision under direction of the general superintendent, performing such duties as he may require, and, in the absence of the general superintendent, performs the duties of that officer. His compensation is $2,500 per annum.

PRINCIPAL CLERK.

The "principal" or "chief" clerk was first provided for in the appropriation act of June 2, 1879. He is appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury and receives a compensation of $2,000 a year. He is charged with general direction of the office routine and supervision of the administrative bookkeeping and accounting, the preparation of the estimates for appropriations, etc.

These three officers-the general superintendent, assistant general superintendent, and principal clerk-constitute the general administrative officers of the service. For the performance of the work to be done in the central office nine divisions or groups of employees may be distinguished:

1. Legal.

2. Statistical.

3. Construction and repair of life-saving stations.

4. Authorizations.

5. Personnel.

6. Correspondence and files.

7. Bookkeeping and accounts.

8. Miscellaneous.

9. Messengers, assistant messenger, and laborer.

Legal. This section is under the charge of a law clerk whose title is "Title and contract clerk." He is appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury and receives an annual compensation of $2,000. To him are assigned the duties which devolve upon a legal adviser of the head of such a service. This includes the preparation of contracts for the purchase and lease of sites for life-saving stations. Legal sanction for such action is found in the act of March 3, 1875 (18 Stat., 372), which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to acquire by donation or purchase in behalf of the United States the right to use and occupy sites for life-saving stations.

The procedure followed in acquiring title to sites and in making leases is described in a report to the President's inquiry in re economy and efficiency, as follows:

After a site has been selected a conveyance to the United States from the reputed owner is obtained on the approved form printed and prepared for that purpose (Form No. 9005, Life-Saving Service). An abstract of the title to the property is also procured and the conveyance, together with the abstract and other papers, is referred to the Solicitor of the Treasury for examination as to form and execution and for a statement as to the sufficiency of the title. After the conveyance and title have been approved by the Solicitor, the conveyance is accepted by the Secretary on behalf of the Government. The conveyance is placed upon the record in the country in which the land is situated.

Leases of property for life-saving purposes are obtained on form 9006. In the case of leases, abstracts of title to the property are not usually obtained. Leases are referred to the Solicitor of the Treasury for examination as to form and execution, and after they have been approved by that officer in these respects, they are also submitted to the Assistant Secretary for approval.

To this section is also assigned the examination of all claims and recommendations for the award of life-saving medals, and the conduct of all correspondence relative thereto. The bestowal of these medals by the Secretary of the Treasury for saving lives from the perils of the sea is authorized under the following laws: Section 7, act of June 20, 1874; section 12, act of June 18, 1878; section 9, act of May 4, 1882.

The legal officer is also charged with the consideration of applications for the benefits originating under sections 7 and 8, act of May 4, 1882 (22 Stat., 57). Disability claims of this character are perfected by this section under the regulations of the service before submission to the auditor.

The preparation of all other contracts (i. e., for construction of lifesaving station buildings and extensive alterations, repairs, or improvements thereof; construction of boats and other life-saving apparatus; and schedules for annual supplies) is assigned to this section, which is further charged with the conduct of such special legal investigations as may be assigned to it from time to time.

In the performance of his duties the title and contract clerk is assisted by one clerk receiving a salary of $1,200 per annum.

Statistical. The general superintendent is directed by the organic act "to collect and compile the statistics of marine disasters." The statistical section of his office is charged with the duty and the preparation of that portion of the annual report which contains this data. The following matter is prepared:

1. Report of the operations of the life-saving establishment.

2. Statistics of marine casualties collected under the acts of June 20, 1872, and June 18, 1878.

This information is gathered from three sources.

1. Weekly transcripts of station journals.

These transcripts of the journals or logs kept at the stations give an exhibit of the daily routine and the services rendered, if any, by the life-saving crew. They also contain a record of all transaotions and occurrences of importance at the stations. After these transcripts-prepared by the station keeper-have been inspected by the district superintendent, they are forwarded weekly to the central office, in which they are examined and compiled by the statistical section. These statistics appear in the annual reports of the service under the title "Services of life-saving crew."

2. Wreck reports from keepers of life-saving stations.

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These reports are made by the station keepers in reporting casualties to vessels within the scope of their service. Upon receipt at the central office they are classified and examined for omission or errors. If any are found, the reports are returned to the station keeper. Whenever a fatality is reported in connection with a disaster to a vessel, investigation is conducted by some officer of the service (usually an officer of the district in which the loss of life occurred). The investigation papers are filed with the wreck report. These papers are carefully examined, and if the disaster fell within the scope of service operations, a narrative account of it, setting forth in a concise manner all the facts and circumstances surrounding it, is prepared for publication in the annual report, under the caption "Disasters within the field of operations of the Life-Saving Service involving loss of life." 3. Statistics of marine casualties collected under the acts of June 20, 1874, and May 4, 1882.

Wreck reports furnished by shipowners, agents, and masters through collectors of customs furnish a third source of statistics compiled by this section. Newspapers and marine journals which publish items of wreck news are subscribed for in order to have the most comprehensive data available. An examination of these papers by this section furnishes a check on the reports of the customs officer. When a sufficient number of these reports of customs officers (properly verified and completed) have accumulated, they are assembled and classified, first, with respect to the nature of disaster (viz, founderings, strandings, collisions, and other causes), and, second, by the month in which the disaster occurred. This data is annually tabulated and from the tabulations is furnished the data which appears in the annual report, under the caption "Tables of casualties in the field of life-saving operations."

This section also has charge of the annual mailing list (which includes the names of individuals, schools, colleges, libraries, library and historic societies, newspapers, commercial concerns, shipowners, and maritime organizations), the filing of miscellaneous correspondence, and the operation of a mimeograph machine for the sending out of circular letters and statistical statements to keepers of lifesaving stations and other field officers.

Construction and repair of life-saving stations. This section consists of two officers, designated by statute, respectively, "civil engineer" and "topographer and hydrographer." The compensation of each is $1,800 per annum. The report, Form 3, to the President's inquiry in re economy and efficiency indicates that there are no lines of demarkation between the duties of these two. The building of a new station or the repair or improvement of an old one having been determined upon and a site selected, the matter is then submitted to this section. The technical work of this group embraces the making of surveys of the site with compass or transit and tapeline for the purpose of verifying or providing necessary description; the making of topographic and hydrographic examinations and surveys; the preparation of all architectural and mechanical designs, plans, and drawings for stations, together with the specifications and estimates for such proposed projects. This section is also called upon to make examinations of all structures requiring repairs, additions, or altera