It is certainly in no spirit of vain-boasting that the fact is stated, that in the eight years and more that the treasury of the United States has been in my charge, during which time money transactions were had that foot on the books of the office at a sum exceeding forty-four thousand million dollars, (an amount of money so great that the ordinary human mind can scarce comprehend it,) and notwithstanding the fact that vast amounts of money have been, and are, every day handled by hundreds of persons in this office, yet not one cent has, up to this time, been lost to the people of the United States on account of the management of the treasury, or on account of the conduct of any employés in this office. If this is mere luck, then certainly I have been the luckiest of men. Losses, it is true, have occurred; but thus far they have been so small that they have always been made good to the treasury by the persons responsible for them, or by the voluntary contributions of the associates of the unfortunate ones. Although I feel that I have the right to say that I have always done my whole duty to the utmost limit of my capacity for endurance; that I have worked unceasingly in season and out of season in the public service; and that I have never done an official act that I am not willing that the whole world should know, yet it is certain that without the aid of an overruling Providence, that has directed the choice of honest and competent persons to aid in the arduous duties that devolved upon me, or without the kindness at all times shown me by your predecessors and yourself, such a result would not have been possible. I feel that such good fortune cannot last always. The bark of the most fortunate and skillful mariner may at last be wrecked on some hidden rock. The law of chances is now strongly against me. I therefore now, more than ever, feel an anxious desire to retire from the peril ous position that I hold, the holding of which I am sure has been of greater benefit to the good people of the United States than to Your humble servant, Hon. GEORGE S. BOUTWELL, F. E. SPINNER, Treasurer of the United States. Secretary of the Treasury. REPORT OF THE REGISTER OF THE TREASURY. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Register's Office, October 29, 1869. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a report of the business transacted in this office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869. Upon assuming the duties of this office, April 1, 1869, I found a clerical force of three hundred and sixty-nine persons. This number was in excess of the requirements of the labor to be performed, and the number has been reduced one hundred and forty, leaving now employed in the several divisions of the bureau two hundred and twenty-nine persons, which number it is believed will be sufficient to perform the labor of the office unless it should be increased. I deemed it to be my duty at an early day after my appointment to call your attention to the exposed condition of a large amount of valuable public property, bonds, &c., which was in custody of this office, and which, from want of sufficiently large safes or permanent safe vaults, seemed to require greater protection. By the change of location of this bureau, which you were pleased to order, from the third story of the building to the first, this evil has been remedied, and we now have for the use of the loan division of this office a large and substantial safe vault constructed out of massive blocks of granite, and lined with iron and secured by the most improved burglarproof locks, which affords ample room, and it is confidently believed renders a large amount of valuable property entirely secure. The following exhibit of the operations of the different divisions into which the work of the Register's office is divided will, it is hoped, prove intelligible and satisfactory : DIVISION OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES. The clerical force of this division comprises twenty-three male and six female clerks. The number of warrants issued during the year for civil, diplomatic, miscellaneous, internal revenue, and public debt expenditures, was.. In the preceding year... $18,856 22, 231 Decrease... 3,375 The number of warrants issued for receipts from customs, lands, direct tax, internal revenue, and miscellaneous sources, was... In the preceding year............ 9,300 9,018 Increase... 282 The number of warrants issued for payments and repayments in the War, 10, 284 In the preceding year............ 9, 104 Increase 1, 180 The number of journal pages required for the entry of accounts relating to the civil, diplomatic, internal revenue, miscellaneous, and public debt receipts and expenditures, was....... In the preceding year............ Increase The number of drafts registered, was In the preceding year............ 4,483 4, 114 369 32,788 39, 634 Decrease.... The number of accounts received from the offices of the First and Fifth In the preceding year.......... 6,896 20,585 25, 273 Decrease.... 4,688 LOAN DIVISION. Statement showing the number of cases, and the number and amount of coupon and registered bonds issued and canceled, during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869. The clerical force in this division is twenty-two male and ten female clerks. NOTE AND COUPON DIVISION. At the close of the fiscal year the clerical force of this division consisted of seventy-eight clerks, (twenty four males and fifty-four females.) The total number for the year was two hundred and fifty clerks, (fifty-two males and one hundred and ninety-eight females.) The average number per month was one hundred and fifty clerks, (thirty-two male and one hundred and eighteen females.) |