PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



779 



so that no confusion may arise from the application 

 of conflicting rules in the case of vessels of different 

 nationalities meeting in tidal waters. These inter- 

 national rules differ out slightly from our own. They 

 have been adopted by the Navy Department for the 

 governance of the war-ships or the United States on 

 the high seas and in foreign waters ; and", through 

 the action of the State Department in disseminating 

 the rules^ and in acquainting ship-masters with the 

 option ot conforming to them without the jurisdic- 

 tional waters of the United States, they are now very 

 generally known and obeyed. 



The State Department still continues to publish to 

 the country the trade and manufacturing reports re- 

 ceived from its officers abroad. The success of this 

 course warrants its continuance, and such appropri- 

 ation as may be required to meet the rapidly increas- 

 ing demand for these publications. With special ref- 

 erence to the Atlanta Cotton Exposition, the October 

 number of the reports was devoted to a valuable col- 

 lection of papers on the cotton goods trade ofthe world. 



The International Sanitary Conference, for which, 

 in 1879, Congress made provision, assembled in this 

 city early in January last, and its sessions were pro- 

 longed until March. Although it reached no specific 

 conclusions affecting the future action of the partici- 

 pant powers, the interchange of views proved to bo 

 most valuable. The full protocols ofthe session have 

 been already presented to the Senate. 



As pertinent to this general subject, I call your at- 

 tention to the operations of the National Board of 

 Health. Established by act of Congress approved 

 March 3. 1379. its sphere of duty was enlarged by the 

 act of June 2a, in the same year. By the last-named 

 act the board was required to institute such measures 

 as might be deemed necessary for preventing the in- 

 troduction of contagious or infectious diseases from 

 foreign countries into the United States, or from one 

 State into another. 



The execution of the rules and regulations prepared 

 by the board and approved by my predecessor has 

 done much to arrest the progress of epidemic disease, 

 and has thus rendered substantial service to the na- 

 tion. 



The International Sanitary Conference, to which I 

 have referred, adopted a form of a bill of health to bo 

 used by all vessels seeking to enter the ports of the 

 countries whose representatives participated in its de- 

 liberations. This form has since been prescribed by 

 the National Board of Health, and incorporated with 

 its rules and regulations, which have been approved 

 by me in pursuance of law. 



The health ofthe people is of supreme importance. 

 All measures looking to their protection against the 

 spread of contagious diseases, and to the increase of 

 our sanitary knowledge for such purposes, deserve 

 attention of Congress. 



The report of the Secretary of the Treasury pre- 

 sents in detail a highly satisfactory exhibit of the 

 state of the finances and the condition of the various 

 branches of the public service administered by that 

 department. 



The ordinary revenues from all sources, for the fis- 

 cal year ending June 30, 1881, were : 



From customs $108,159.676 02 



From Internal revenue 185,261,385 51 



From sales of public lands 2,201,868 17 



From tax on circulation and deposits of na- 

 tional banks 8,116,115 72 



From repayment of interest by Pacific Rail- 

 way Companies 810,883 80 



From sinking fund for Pacific Railway Com- 

 panies 805,180 54 



From customs fees, fines, penalties, etc . 1,225,514 86 



From fees consular, letters-patent, and lands 2,244,988 98 

 From proceeds of sales of Government prop- 

 erty 262,174 00 



From profits on coinage 8,468,485 61 



From revenues of the District of Columbia . . 2,016,199 28 



From miscellaneous sources 6.206,880 18 



Total ordinary receipts $360,782,292 57 



^ The ordinary expenditures for the same pe- 

 riod were : 



For civil expenses 



For foreign intercourse 



For Indians 



For Pensions .' 



For the military establishment, including 

 river and harbor improvements and arse- 

 nals 



For the naval establishment, including ves- 

 sels, machinery, and improvements at na- 

 vy-yards 



For miscellaneous expenditures, including 

 public buildings, light-houses, and collect- 

 ing the revenue 



For expenditures on account of the District 

 of Columbia 



For interest on the public debt 



For premium on bonds purchased 



$17,941,177 19 



1,093,954 92 



6.514,161 09 



50,059,279 62 



40,466,460 55 

 15,686,671 66 



41,837,280 57 



3,548,912 03 

 82,508,741 18 

 1,061,248 78 



Total ordinary expenditures $260,712,837 69 



Leaving a surplus revenue of $100,069,404 98 



"Which was applied as follows: 



To the redemption of 



Bonds for the sinking fund 



Fractional currency for the sinking fund. . 



Loan of February, 1861 



Ten-forties of 1864 



Five-twenties of 1862 



Five-twenties of 1864 



Five-twenties of 1865 



Consols of 1865 " 



Consols of 1867 



Consols of 1868 



Texan indemity stock 



Old demand, compound-interest, and other 



notes 



And to the increase of cash in the Treasury 



$74,871,200 00 



109,001 05 



7,418,000 00 



2,016,150 00 



18,300 00 



8.400 00 



37,300 00 



148,150 00 



959,150 00 



837,400 00 



1,000 00 



18,880 00 

 14,637,023 93 



Total $100,069,404 98 



The requirements of the sinking fund for the year 

 amounted to $90,786,064.02, which sum included a 

 balance of $49,817,128.78, not provided for during the 

 previous fiscal year. The sum of $74,480,201.05 was 

 applied to this fund, which left a deficit of $16,305,- 

 873.47. The increase of the revenues for 1881 over 

 those of the previous year was $29,352,901.10. It is 

 estimated that the receipts during the present fiscal 

 year will reach $400,000,000, and the expenditures 

 $270,000,000, leaving a surplus of $130,000,000 appli- 

 cable to the sinking fund and the redemption of the 

 public debt. 



I approve the recommendation of the Secretary of 

 the Treasury, that provision be made for the early 

 retirement of silver certificates, and that the act re- 

 quiring their issue be repealed. They were issued in 

 pursuance of the policy of the Government to maintain 

 silver at or near the gold standard, and were accord- 

 ingly made receivable for all customs, taxes, and pub- 

 lic dues. About sixty-six millions of them are now 

 outstanding. They form an unnecessary addition to 

 the paper currency, a sufficient amount of which may 

 be readily supplic'd by the national banks. 



In accordance with the act of February 23, 1878, tho 

 Treasury Department has, monthly, caused at least 

 two millions in value of silver bullion to be coined 

 into standard silver dollars. One hundred and two 

 million of these dollars have been already coined, 

 while only about thirty-four millions are in circula- 

 tion. 



For the reasons which ho specifies, I concur in the 

 Secretary's recommendation that the provision for 

 coinage of a fixed amount each month be repealed, 

 and that hereafter only so much be coined as shall be 

 necessary to supplv tho demand. 



The Secretary advises that the issue of gold certifi- 

 cates should not for the present be resumed, and sug- 

 gests that the national banks may properly be for- 

 bidden by law to retire their currency except upon 

 reasonable notice of their intention so to do. Such 

 legislation would seem to bo justified by the recent 



