made of the balances above mentioned that will remain on the books of this office. I am being requested by disbursing officers for information of this character, and I will appreciate the courtesy of your early attention. Respectfully, JNO. A. WOGAN, Assistant Treasurer United States. JANUARY 20, 1913. MY DEAR MR. WOGAN: Referring to your communication of the 16th instant relative to department Circular No. 5, dated January 9, 1913, you are advised that all balances standing to the credit of disbursing officers, including the amount of their outstanding checks, are to be transferred to the credit of said officers with the Treasurer of the United States at the close of business January 31, 1913, in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 1 of said circular. Sincerely yours, R. O. BAILEY, Assistant Secretary. Hon. JOHN A. WOGAN, Assistant Treasurer United States, New Orleans, La. JANUARY 29, 1913. ASSISTANT TREASURER UNITED STATES, New Orleans, La. SIR: Officials of the Post Office Department advise this department that the postmaster at New Orleans has received a copy of your circular letter of the 23d instant, stating that the balance of his account will be transferred to his account with the Treasurer of the United States on January 31, under department circulars Nos. 4 and 5 of January 9, 1913. Attention is invited to paragraph 11 of Circular No. 5, which expressly excepts postal funds (and also the last sentence of paragraph 2 of circular letter dated January 18, 1913). Respectfully, Hon. R. O. BAILEY, R. O. BAILEY, Assistant Secretary. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, UNITED STATES SUBTREASURY, New Orleans, La., February 3, 1913. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C. SIR: In reply to your letter of the 29th ultimo, concerning the notice given by this office to the postmaster at New Orleans relative to the transfer of the balance to the credit of his disbursing account, I beg to inform you that upon receipt on January 27 of department circular of January 18, 1913, I wrote to the postmaster at New Orleans, and also to all postmasters having balances to their credit with this office, to disregard my circular letter of January 23, 1913, for the reason that their accounts were excepted by department circular of January 18, 1913, from the effect of the changes set forth in previous department circulars. Respectfully, JNO. A. WOGAN, Assistant Treasurer United States. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, UNITED STATES SUBTREASURY, Cincinnati, Ohio, January 24, 1913. The honorable the SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: In department Circular No. 5, dated January 9, 1913, in regard to the changes which are to take effect February 1, in paragraph 1 is found the following: All moneys standing to the official credit of disbursing officers with assistant treasurers and active designated depositary banks at the close of business January 31, 1913, shall be transferred to the official credit of such disbursing officers with the Treasurer of the United States, through the medium of the general account of the Treasurer of the United States. The disbursing officers are inquiring of us whether they shall draw a check covering the balances at the close of business January 31, 1913, and deposit the same with the assistant treasurer to be placed to the credit of said disbursing officer with the Treasurer of the United States as a transfer of funds, through the medium of the general account, in the same manner as they have done heretofore with their unexpended balances at the end of each fiscal year. SIR: Replying to your letter of the 24th instant, relative to department Circular No. 5, dated January 9, 1913, you are advised that all balances standing to the official credit of United States disbursing officers with your office, with the exception of United States courts and postmasters, are to be transferred by you to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States at the close of business January 31, 1913, and no action by disbursing officers will be necessary to effect the transfer. See paragraph 2 of department circular letter of the 18th instant, copy inclosed. Respectfully, Hon. FRANKLIN MACVEAGH, R. O. BAILEY, Assistant Secretary. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, UNITED STATES SUBTREASURY, Cincinnati, Ohio, January 22, 1913. Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SIR: Under the new order of business to go into effect. February 1, this office will naturally receive checks for payment from many sources that we did not have before. While we are familiar with the signatures of such disbursing officers who drew their checks on this office up to the present time, how are we to determine the genuineness of signatures from other disbursing officers? Are we to use our judgment, or will we receive copies of signatures that will be signed to different checks? Your prompt reply will oblige. Yours, respect fully, GEO. PUCHTA, Assistant Treasurer United States. JANUARY 24, 1913. The ASSISTANT TREASURER UNITED STATES, Cincinnati, Ohio. SIR: Replying to your letter of the 22d instant, relative to department Circular No. 5, dated January 9, 1913, you are advised that it is not intended to furnish assistant treasurers or depositaries with the signatures of disbursing officers. It is contemplated that assistant treasurers paying warrants and checks, observing the same precautions as at present, shall pay the same only when presented in due course of business by a responsible holder. If a warrant or check is paid by you under these conditions, and on examination in the Treasurer's office is rejected, you will have ample recourse against the indorser. Respectfully, The ASSISTANT TREASURER UNITED STATES, R. O. BAILEY, Assistant Secretary. Chicago, Ill. FEBRUARY 5, 1913. DEAR SIR: Replying to your letter of the 3d instant, addressed to the Treasurer of the United States, you are advised that the balance "for service of the Post Office Department" should be transferred to the credit of the general account of the Treasurer of the United States under provisions of Circular No. 5. Very truly, yours, R. O. BAILEY, Assistant Secretary. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, To the TREASURER OF THE UNITED STATES, Washington, D. C. SIR: At the close of business January 31, 1913, there was to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States, for service of Post Office Department, a balance of $2.157.322.71. As paragraph 11 of department Circular No. 5 stated that the regulations did not apply to postal funds, this balance was not transferred to the credit of your general account for service of the Post Oflice Department. As no post-office warrants will be charged by this office to this account, it is supposed that the amount should be transferred to your general account. Your instructions in regard to the matter are awaited. F. C. RUSSELL, Respectfully, SIR: I beg to confirm telegram to you of even date, as follows: It is claimed that the local depositories are not active depositories and that instructions contained in department Circular No. 5 do not apply to them. Should not these banks pay all Government warrants and checks presented to them on and after February 1? This office understands that all banks on list furnished by Treasurer United States January 15, 1913, are active depositories. Respectfully, F. C. RUSSELL, Acting Assistant Treasurer United States. JANUARY 20, 1913. MY DEAR MR. GIBSON: Replying to your letter of the 16th instant, concerning Treasury Department Circular No. 5, dated January 9, 1913, you are advised as follows: With regard to your inquiry as to whether certain accounts now appearing on your books are to be transferred: Balances of accounts the paid checks of which are not at present sent to the Division of Public Moneys will not be transferred without further instructions. Applying this test you will be enabled to answer the questions contained in the first paragraph of your letter. The provision contained in paragraph 3 of Circular No. 5 that assistant treasurers shall pay all such warrants and checks, observing the same precautions as at present, contemplated that assistant treasurers would exercise the precaution suggested in your letter, namely, to pay no warrant or check except when presented in due course of business by a responsible holder. By the adoption of such a rule, you will protect yourself against any erroneous payments. The question of limiting the number of places at which a check or warrant is payable, and the possibility of Government paper being used by banks for purposes of making remittances was fully considered during the preparation of Circular No. 5, and it was decided to impose no restrictions on checks and warrants, believing that questions of exchange will be settled without detriment to the interests of the Government. Paragraph 8 of Circular No. 5 refers only to the method of depositing money to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States as a revenue or repayment to an appropriation. The question of where a particular officer shall make his deposits will be covered by instructions issued to each officer. 81241-S. Doc. 1136, 62-3- 4 You suggest that 15,000 or 20,000 pension checks might be diverted to your office. It is expected that nearly all warrants and checks will be paid by the active designated depositary banks out of revenues deposited with them, and that only a few such checks and warrants will reach the various subtreasuries. Sincerely, yours, Hon. W. HOWARD GIBSON, Assistant Treasurer United States, R. O. BAILEY, Assistant Secretary. Philadelphia, Pa. [Concerning circular letter No. 5.] UNITED STATES SUBTREASURY, The honorable the SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY. SIR: Referring to department Circular No. 5, dated January 9, 1913, the following matters of detail are presented for consideration. Paragraph 1 contemplates transfer of moneys standing to official credit of disbursing officers at close of business January 31, 1913. Information is requested as to whether following accounts appearing on books of this office come within this category: The transfer account of the Treasurer of the United States, the accounts of the present incumbent and five former Comptrollers of the Currency, agent of the governor of the United States Naval Home, and the two accounts of the undersigned, covering salaries and contingent expenses of this office. Paragraph 3 contemplates this office paying checks drawn on the Treasurer of the United States in same manner as checks now drawn on this office are paid, and, quoting words used, "observing the same precautions as at present." The three most important precautions now taken are: Ascertaining sufficiency of disbursing officer's balance to meet check, comparison of signatures to prevent forgeries, and observance of stop-payment list. When satisfied as to these points indorsements and minor informalities are considered. From careful perusal of circular No. 5 it would appear that none of the three aforementioned precautions can be taken when checks are drawn as contemplated therein. Since the incumbency of the writer this office has had occasion to refuse payment under all three of these headings, viz: Insufficient funds, forged signature, payment stopped, and he is at a loss to understand where responsibility will be placed for erroneous payments under these circumstances. This liability might be practically removed by limiting payment of checks to those indorsed by responsible institutions who would first file with this office an agreement, sanctioned by board of directors, to make refund in case of return of any checks upon which payment had previously been made. It would seem, however, unless some system is devised for keeping the Subtreasuries and depositories daily informed of balance, signatures, and stoppages, that payments to others than such institutions would be precluded, this office having no recourse in cases of overpayments, forgeries, or nonobservances of stoppages. A case may be cited where a paymaster, for instance, might have his check honored at this office for a large sum, visit what designated |