GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND PROTECTION. 35 



Each Forest officer whose duties require him to be familiar with the entire 

 Manual will be expected to keep one set of the Manual, to be plainly marked 

 "File Copy," in which must be entered marginally, on the page designated by 

 each amendment, the serial numbers of the amendments as they are issued. 

 He will also keep a file of all amendments in their serial order. When a new 

 amendment is received its number should first be entered on the margin of the 

 designated page of the file copy, and the amendment should then be^ filed, care 

 being taken to see that the amendment of the immediately preceding serial 

 number is in the file. If the immediately preceding amendment is not found 

 in the file the Forest officer should at once take the steps necessary to obtain 

 it. File copies of the National Forest Manual and files of the amendments 

 will be subject to inspection to see that they are kept up. 



When a new ranger is appointed he will be furnished with a set of the 

 National Forest Manual and a set of all amendments issued to date, and will 

 be expected to make the necessary annotations of the set to form his file copy. 



Issued from District Office. 



When a District Forester finds it necessary to issue instructions (not simply 

 explanatory) under existing regulations to all officers on National Forests in 

 his district, he will, when practicable, submit them to the Forester for pub- 

 lication as a change in the National Forest Manual. When the delay would 

 interfere with the object of the instructions, or when their scope is limited to 

 district business, or if they are simply explanatory, the District Forester will 

 issue a circular letter to all supervisors in his district. Copies will be sent to 

 the Forester. Copies will be sent also to each District Forester, except when 

 the character of the instructions is strictly routine or when the letter is issued 

 as the result of general instructions from the Forester. 



OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE. 



CLASSIFICATION. 



Washington Office. 



The correspondence of the Washington office will comprise departmental, 

 Service, branch, and office correspondence. 



Departmental Correspondence. 



The following classes of correspondence will be prepared for the signature 

 of the Secretary of Agriculture : Letters to the heads of other executive 

 departments, and answers to letters referred to the Forester by the chief clerk 

 of the department with instructions to prepare answers for the signature of the 

 Secretary. 



Service Correspondence. 



The following classes of correspondence will be signed by the Forester: 

 Letters to the Secretary of Agriculture (except recommendations for appoint- 

 ments, changes in salary status of the personnel, and the certification of civil- 

 service eligibles, which may be signed by the Associate Forester as Acting 

 Forester) ; letters to the chiefs of other bureaus in the Department of Agri- 

 culture; letters involving matters of policy affecting the Service as a whole; 

 letters which, in the judgment of the assistant foresters, are of sufficient im- 

 portance to require the signature of the Forester; and letters making allot- 

 ments to branches and districts. 



Branch Correspondence. 



The following classes of correspondence will be signed by the Assistant 

 Foresters: Instructions to District Foresters on branch matters; letters dealing 

 with matters of policy affecting the branch but not the Service as a whole; 

 letters involving more than one office of the branch. 



Office Correspondence. 



Chiefs of office will sign correspondence not included under departmental, 

 Service, or branch correspondence. 



District Office. 



The correspondence of district offices will comprise departmental, Service, 

 district, and. office correspondence. 



