CONDITION OF THE TREASURY JUNE 30, 1920 Undistributed assets of insolv ent national banks Deposits for ...... Redemption of Federal re serve notes fund, gold) (5 per cent Redemption of Federal reserve bank notes (5 per cent fund). Retirement of additional circulating notes, act of May 30, 1908 Miscellaneous redemption accounts Balance in the Treasury, June 30, 1920, as per Financial Statement of the United States Government $1,168,284.92 237,195,574.39 in excess of the revenues in the sum of $17,172,396.88. After deducting losses of postal funds by fire, burglary, and other causes amounting to $98,085.84, the total audited deficiency in postal revenues for the fiscal year is $17,270,482.72. The expenditures included approximately $33,202,600, additional, paid as a war bonus to postal employees in excess of the regular basic salaries, 9,449,759.00 and $35,698,400 authorized by special act of Congress in joint resolution no. 151, granting them 138,860.00 an increased compensation for the year, and making a total increase in salaries of approximately 18,978,238.06 $68,901,000. This joint resolution was not rec$345,000,773.35 ommended or approved by the Postmaster-General, who believed that it gave a blanket increase to thousands of employees who were already amply compensated. 359,947,020.33 There was a remarkable increase in the volume master-General at 10.81 per cent as compared of business during the year, placed by the Postwith an average increase during the preceding 15 years of about 5.88 per cent. Excess of disbursements over receipts, for war period.. $22,669,206,659.94 ARMY AND NAVY. The Army and Navy are treated under various heads such as MILITARY PROGRESS; NAVAL PROGRESS; AERONAUTICS; SHIP-BUILDING; SHIPPING, etc. See also below under Congress, etc. POST OFFICE. The revenues of the Postal Service for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920, including the revenues from money-order and postal-savings business, amounted to $437,150,212.33. During the preceding fiscal year the receipts were $436,239,126.20, which, however, included collections of $71,392,000 as a war tax derived from increased postage on first-class mail, the ordinary postal receipts for 1919 having been $364,847,126.20. For comparative purposes, therefore, it may be said that the postal income for 1920 showed an increase of $72,303,086.13 over the preceding year-war tax excluded-the rate of increase being 19.81 per cent. The audited expenditures for the year were $454,322,609.21, an increase over the preceding year of $91,824,973.52, or 25.33 per cent. The audited expenditures for the fiscal year were therefore through the extension of the service to additional commercial centres. There were three extensions of the service one from New York to Cleveland—as discussed in the previous annual report. Through this extension the service was completed from New York to Chicago. Regular night fly. ing with the mail was not practicable with the existing types of planes in the mountain section, but it was practicable in the level country of the Middle West, and the department was making preparations in the way of lighting regular and emergency landing fields and equipping planes with magnesium flares. It was promised that this service would be begun in the early spring between Chicago and Cheyenne, Wyo., and would result in delivering mail from New York to Cheyenne within 24 hours. The run from Cheyenne to San Francisco would then be a matter of 12 hours' flying. See AERONAUTICS, section on United States Aërial Mail Service. The government-owned motor-vehicle service was gradually extended until on July 1, 1920, it was in operation in 163 cities. In 50 of these six or more trucks were in use, while in the remainder of the cities less than six trucks were engaged in the transportation of mail. The service required 2606 trucks, ranging in size from three-eighths to five tons capacity. The number of supervisory officers, clerks, mechanics, chauffeurs, and garage men necessary in the operation and upkeep of these trucks totaled 3880. Government-owned service was being extended as rapidly as motor-truck equipment became available, and plans were made for the establishment of it at the close of the year in ten additional cities. The Railway Mail Service was operated with increased efficiency under the space system. War conditions were overcome in the Foreign Mail Service which was brought back to normal. The Money Order Service and the Postal Savings System had rapidly recovered from war conditions and were in most satisfactory operation. The Rural Mail Service was extended during the fiscal year to more than 600,000 additional persons and the facilities of the service systematized and improved. As to the Postal Savings Service the net amount remaining on deposit on June 30, 1920, was $157,276,322, as compared with $167,323,260 on deposit June 30, 1919. While this was net decrease in the amount on deposit, it is to be noted that during the year there was a greater amount deposited with the system than during any previous fiscal year. The decrease during the year was accounted for by the fact that the withdrawals from the service were much greater than during any other period, the majority of the patrons of the Postal Savings System being of foreign extraction, credited with about 75 per cent of the deposits, and being required to make remittances of larger sums of money than was formerly their custom to relatives and friends in Europe. The Postmaster-General emphatically renewed his objections to the organization of government employees and his recommendation that organizations of postal employees be prohibited by law from affiliation with outside organizations. PENSIONS. The amount paid out in pensions during the fiscal year ending June 30, was $213,295,314, as compared with $222,159,292 the year before. To pensioners in foreign countries $1,280,581 was paid as compared with $1,188,188 the year before. The following table shows the various classes on the pension roll, June 30, 1920: Civil War Soldiers Widows War with Spain Soldiers Widows Indian wars— Survivors Widows Mexican War Survivors Widows War of 1812, widows. By classes Invalids Widows Dependents 243,520 23,144 3,745 148 2,423 A Civil War pension bill was signed by the President on May 1 raising the pension of veterans to $50 per month and providing for total disability, $72; for the loss of limbs, $60 to $90; for widows, $30; for each child, $6. There was an increase also to veterans of the Spanish-American war and of the Philippine insurrections. This act was approved June 5. The SterlingLehlback law providing old-age pensions for Federal civil service employees was approved by the President, May 22. See OLD-AGE PENSIONS. PATENTS. The total number of applications for patents for inventions during the fiscal year ending 1920 was 81,948, as compared with 62,755 in 1919. Other applications during the fiscal year 1920 were as follows: The patents expired during the fiscal year numbered 29,329. The gains over the previous fiscal year in applications for mechanical patents, registration of trade-marks, and in total applications were, respectively, 19,193, 6149, and 27,283 in numbers and 30, 72, and 36 per cent in proportionate increases. The gain in actual numbers far exceeded any previous increase of business in any one fiscal year, and this gain was larger than the total receipts of any calendar year in the history of the Patent Office up to and including the year 1881. The gain in business in the number of printed copies of patents sold was 22 per cent; in deeds of assignment received for record, 34 per cent; and in words furnished of copies of records, 79 per cent. The receipts of money for copies of patents increased 84 per cent. It is to be noted that the increase of price of these copies from five cents to ten cents, required by the first deficiency appropriation act of November 4, 1919, was effective for a little more than half the year. The gain in receipts of money if increase of price had been effective the whole year would have amounted to 140 per cent. The total receipts of money increased 23.8 per cent, and the net deficit for the fiscal year 1919 of $65,228.13 was turned into a net surplus of $179,135.96, making a relative net increase of $244,364.09 for the year. BUREAU OF MINES. Among the activities of the respective divisions of the Bureau of Mines during the fiscal year 1920, as described in the Directors' report, the following may be noted: The mining division of the bureau, in addition to its regular work of advising and assisting both the coal and metal mining industries toward better and safer practices, assisted in the codification and adoption of improved coal-mine laws for the State of Utah, and prepared and was putting into operation coal-mine regulations for coal leases on government lands. In addition, 285,110 new coal-mine explosives were regularly tested 299,363 and added to the permissible list of the bureau for use in gaseous or dusty mines; tests and 71 4,422 demonstrations of better methods of protection against the dangers from coal dust and methane (gas) underground were made in the experimental mine; and the geophone, an underground listening device developed during the war, was further perfected and adapted for use in mines. In metal mining, the outstanding feature was the investigations of harmful dusts and the need for better ventilation in many of the western metal mines. The results were helping toward adoption of modern ventilation methods at many western metal mines, and thus greatly promoting healthful working conditions for miners. In the fuel division, coöperative work with outside agencies enabled the division to make twofold use of the money appropriated for it, and the results were leading to the saving and the more efficient use of fuel, a saving that exceeds many times the money invested by the bureau. This division also concerned itself with mechanical and electrical machinery and apparatus in and around mines, and prepared model laws for the use of electricity underground. Further, the development of underground storage-battery locomotives justified the preparation by the bureau of a schedule of tests. In the division of mineral technology the production of mesothorium as a substitute for radium for certain commercial uses was accomplished, and researches on the use of special steels brought decided results that would promote greater use. The progress toward the production of helium on a commercial scale in coöperation with the War and the Navy Departments was marked. In its work of assisting development and conservation in the industry the bureau codified leasing and operating regulations for oil and gas lands in the public domain. EMBASSIES AND LEGATIONS TO THE UNITED STATES: Argentina-Tomas A. Le Breton, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Belgium-Baron E. de Cartier de Marchienne, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Bolivia-Alberto Cortedellas, Secretary of Legation and Chargé d'affaires ad interim. Brazil-Augusto Cochrane de Alencar, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Bulgaria-Stephen Panaretoff, Envoy extraor dinary and minister plenipotentiary. Chile-Don Beltran Mathieu, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. China-Vi Kyuin Wellington Koo, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Colombia-Dr. Carlos Adolfo Urueta, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, Costa Rica-Absent. Cuba-Dr. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Czecho-Slovakia-Karel Halla, Counselor of legation and chargé d'affaires ad interim. Denmark-Constantin Brun, Envoy extraordi nary and minister plenipotentiary. Dominican Republic-Manuel de J. Camacho, Consul-general of the Dominican Republic in New York City. Ecuador-Don Rafael H. Elizalde, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Finland-Armas Herman Saastamoinen, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. France J. J. Jusserand, Ambassador extraor dinary and plenipotentiary. Great Britain-Sir Auckland Geddes, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. Greece-Georges Roussos, Envoy extraordinary and ministry plenipotentiary. Guatemala-Don Joaquín Méndez, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Haiti-Charles Moravia, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. ary. Honduras-Don J. Antonio López Gutierrez, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiItaly-Baron Camillo Romano Avezzana, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. Japan-Baron K. Shidehara. Appointed Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary Mexico-Dr. Salvador Diego-Fernandez, Minister plenipotentiary and chargé d'affaires ad interim. Montenegro-General Antoine Gvosdenovitch, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary (absent). Netherlands-J. T. Cremer, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Nicaragua-Don Diego Manuel Chamorro, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Norway-H. H. Bryn, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Panama-Don J. E. Lefèvre, Secretary of legation and chargé d'affaires ad interim. Paraguay-William Wallace White, Consul-general of Paraguay in New York City. Persia-Mirza Abdul Ali Khan, Sadigh-esSaltaneh, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Peru-Don Federico Alfonso Pezet, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. Poland-Prince Casimir Lubomirski, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Portugal-Viscount d'Alte, Envoy extraordi nary and minister plenipotentiary. Rumania-N. H. Lahovary, Secretary of legation and Chargé d'affaires ad interim. Russia-Boris Bakhmetieff, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. Salvador-Don Salvador Sol, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Serbs, Croats and Slovenes-Dr. Slavko Y. Grouitch, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Siam-Phya Prabha Karavongse, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Spain-Don Juan Riaño y Gayangos, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. Sweden-J. de Lagerberg, secretary of lega tion. Switzerland-Marc Peter, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Uruguay-Jacobo Varela, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Venezuela-Don Santos A. Dominici, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. EMBASSIES AND LEGATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES: Argentina-Frederic Jessup Stimson, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. Belgium-Brand Whitlock, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Bolivia-S. Abbot Maginnis, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Brazil-Edwin V. Morgan. Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Bulgaria-Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Chile Joseph H. Shea, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. China-Charles R. Crane, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. France Hugh Campbell Wallace, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Great Britain-John W. Davis, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Greece and Montenegro-Edward Capps, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Guatemala-Benton McMillin, Envoy extraorordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Haiti Arthur Bailly-Blanchard, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. HondurasEnvoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Italy-Robert Underwood Johnson, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Japan-Roland S. Morris, Ambassador extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Liberia Joseph L. Johnson, minister resident and consul-general. Mexico Ambassador extraordi nary and minister plenipotentiary. Montenegro-Edward Capps, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Morocco-Maxwell Blake, Agent and consul general. The Netherlands-William Phillips, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Nicaragua-Benjamin L. Jefferson, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Norway-Albert G. Schmedeman, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Panama-William J. Price, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Paraguay-Daniel F. Mooney, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Persia-John L. Caldwell, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Peru-William E. Gonzales, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Poland-Hugh S. Gibson, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Portugal-Thomas H. Birch, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Rumania-Charles J. Vopicka, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Salvador-Peter Augustus Jay, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes-H. Percival Dodge, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotenti Uruguay-Robert Emmet Jeffery, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Venezuela-Preston McGoodwin, Envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. HOUSE RECORD: Second Session. The 66th Congress met on Dec. 1st, 1919, in its first regular session. The important proceedings down to the close of the year are given in the preceding volume of this YEAR BOOK, The House met for the first time in 1920, on January 6, after the holiday period, and its. chief proceedings with their dates were as follows: January 10. The question of seating Victor Berger, Socialist Congressman-elect from Wisconsin, came up for a second time and was decided in the negative by a vote of 328 to 6. January 15. The Post Office appropriation bill for $460,000,000 was passed after the provision for the air mail service had been eliminated. January 19. Considerable reduction in the Rivers and Harbors appropriation bill, amounting to about $30,500,000 was effected January 23. The enlisted men's pay increase bill was passed by 311 to 10. It was to operate from Jan. 1, 1920 to July 1, 1921, and the pay was raised one-third. The measure was then referred to the Senate. January 21. The diplomatic appropriation bill was reduced by $3,085,125. January 31. A bill authorizing $50,000,000 for food relief in Europe was unanimously reported by the Ways and Means Committee. February 9. The Democrats at their caucus took a definite stand on the question of military training after a letter had been read from the President recommending a moderate attitude and no action on the part of the party. It adopted by a vote of 106 to 17 a resolution favoring that no measure should be passed by this Congress providing for universal compulsory service or training. February 10. The conference report on the oil land leasing bill was adopted. February 18. The legislative and executive and judicial appropriation bill carrying $104,120000 was reported by the appropriations committee. February 20. The military affairs commitee voted by 11 to 9 in favor of postponing universal military training legislation. February 21. The conference report on the Cummins-Esch railroad bill was carried by 250 to 150 over the protests of labor men and farmers. February 25. A motion to repeal the Volstead prohibition enforcement law was defeated by 80 to 39. March 4. A resolution to investigate the fixing of sugar prices was carried by 162 to 142. Another motion to repeal the Volstead act was defeated. March 18. The army reorganization bill providing for 299,000 men and 17,800 officers was passed by 246 to 92. March 21. The resolution declaring the state of war with Germany at an end was proposed by Mr. Porter (Republican) chairman of Committee of foreign affairs. March 23. The naval appropriation bill carrying $425,000,000 was passed. This provided the sum of $104,000,000 for completing the 1916 construction programme and authorized for the navy an enlisted personnel of 125,000 sailors and 20,000 marines. April 2. The Ways and Means Committee voted by 15 to 6 to report the soldier bonus |