v.— ADMINISTRATION. 



REVIEW OF THE WORK OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE BUREAl'S. 

 OFFICE OF THE CHIEF CLERK. 



The chief clerk's office remains under tlie supervision of Mr. W. V. 

 Cox. The duties belonging to this office are mainly of an executive or 

 administrative character. Among these duties are the general super- 

 vision of the expenditure of the appropriations; the preparation of 

 proposals for supplies or labor; the opening of bids; awards of con- 

 tracts; issuing orders for the purchase of supplies and employment of 

 labor; the settling of accounts; the suj)ervisiou of correspondence 

 other than that of a scientific nature, or of that relating to specimens; 

 the general supervision over employes and their assignment to duty; 

 the granting of leaves of absence and other matters aflecting the per- 

 sonnel of the Museum; the issuing of passes to the buildings; the 

 conducting of boards of inquiry, inspection, and survey ; the investiga- 

 tion of complaints, etc. 



In Ai)pendix ii to this report a statement is i)resented showing the 

 disposition of the unexpended balance on hand at the close of the year 

 ending June 30, 1892. This is followed by a statement indicating the 

 disbursements on account of the appropriation for the year ending 

 June 30, 1893. 



Since his last annual report, the chief clerk, the superintendent ol 

 buildings and labor, and the property clerk have had much of their time 

 and that of their force occupied in the preparation of exhibits for the 

 Columbian Historical Exposition in Madrid, and the World's Colum- 

 bian Exposition at Chicago. Yet the extra work incident to the many 

 additional retiuisitions made, and orders issued for supplies required 

 to be purchased, together with tlie work to be done in the shops of the 

 IMuseum by reason of these preparations, were all attended to by the 

 regular employes, without additional cost to the Exposition, notwith- 

 standing the fact that ever}' purchase of supplies thus made and every 

 order for work required the stating of a bill, and also involved a large 

 amount of other incidental work. In the office of the chief clerk 600 

 vouchers, aggregating more than ■'^78,000, were stated and otlierwise coni- 

 pleted for settlement, and transmitted to the Board of Managers for 

 payment. To perfoiin this amount of extra labor the clerks were com- 

 pelled to devote longer hours to their duties. 



CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTS. 



This division of the administrative work remains under the charge 

 of Mr. K. I. Geare. At the beginning of the year the force consisted 

 of 2 stenographers, 1 accession clerk, 1 record clerk, 1 index clerk, 3 

 typewriters and a messenger. 



1S7 



