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Show XLII REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAK AFFAIRS. CLERICAL WORK OF THE BUlZEAU. Previous to the assembling of thelast Congress I hadthe satisfaction of being able to report that no current accounts of ageot,s remained unsettled in this office pertt~iuiugto the fiscal year 1882. At present there are still a urunber of accounts for the last quarter of the fi~oal year 1883 unexamiued, the inajority of which, however, bare only been rendered within the last two or three weeks (during xvhiuh tiole many of the clerks of this office wereabsent on t.lleir a,nnual leave), and before next December I hope to have all accounts for 1883 examined and referred to the Treasury Departlneut for settlement. The clerical force at work on account,s has, during the year, bem much reduced in efficiency by the resignatiou or transfer to other branches of this service of four or fire experieueed acoountants, in ~ ~ l n of ew houi I have been obliged to depend on clerks new to the work of settling agents' accounts. To do this work properly athorough kuomledge of precedent rulings in questioni~ble cases, and of the re. quirements of the Department aud the Treasury touching theacoounts of Indian agents, is almost indispensable; added to which a good and observant examiner who has been some time iu the service is expected, and can hardly fail, to have acquired a gtrnerad knowledge of the various agencies, their past and present surrou~ldings and peculiarities, and a knowledge of the habits, business oapacity, and moral tone of the em-ployds and the agent whose current accounts, or explanations to ex-ceptions to previous accounts, may be under the examiner's considera-tion. Without this knorledge it is almost impossible proper17 to settle an account in reasonable time, or always to be certain that the Government is being fully protected, the best interests of the service promoted, and that no injustice is being done to the Indians or to the agent in taking exceptiolls to his accounts. or in failing togive him the necessary instructions which his peculiar circ~~mstancmesa y call for. When cousidered in this light, it must appear evident that neither the greatest safety nor economy to the Government ia secured by re-quiring any part of such work to be done by clerks new to the ~ervice or nnfamiliar wit.h accounts, even at sluall salaries j nor, where this is required, should the best results be expected. And as it is impossible for any persons outside of the Department, to know the merits or useful-ness of any clerk employed here., or exactly the dass of help required, I have again to suggest that the various rates of compensation to be paid to the clerks in this Bureau ~~houblde in many cases increased, and in all cases should be more directly under Department control, or else a fund should be placed at the diapolial of t.he Department, from which experience and efficiency may be suitably remunerated. In my opinion the best interests of the Government; would thereby be promoted. SANITARY CONDITION OP THE INDIANS. Comparison with the preceding years shows an increase in the num-ber of cases treated b~ the agency physioians, but a smaller percentage |