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Show ONMISSIONER OP INDIAN AFFAIRS. 31 additions to old buildings, especially in the Southwest, screened sleep-ing porches were built; in front of the wire, canvas curtains werehung to be dropped for the sake of privacy and for protection from storms. By reason of a new regulation requiring 500 instead of 400 cubic feet of air space for each pupil, readjustments were made. In short, it has been the policy to make every structural change which will aid the campaign for health that is being waged by all branches of the service. For the sake of durability and economy concrete was much used, under specifications from the office, to take the place of brick and stone masonry, especially in foundations. At places where suitable local stone could not be had concrete was also used for sills, drip-stones, and gutters. In a portion of the shop building at the Cush-man School, Tacoma, Wash., reenforced concrete was employed, and will be used for the whole of the first floor of a large gymnasium in course of construction at the same school. In working concrete for ordinary purposes Indian labor has proved efficient under the direc-tion of experienced masons. PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES. In maintaining the activities of the service the office annually purchases supplies costing well over $4,000,000. For all purchases, excapt items required in exigencies, advertisements are made' for bids. The goods are usually delivered at our warehouses in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha, San Francisco, or at factories, and distributed to the field. To avoid duplication and unnecessary expense, such as has existed, bids on the supplies for 1912 were opened in the spring at Chicago and Omaha, and in the fall they were opened at Chicago. While the intention is to change somewhat the point or points of lettings from year to year, the purpose is to confine the lettings in each year to not more than two points In this , way hidders were enabled to avoid the nec6ssity of submitting bids and samples both in the East and the West, and the Government saved the expense of duplicata inspection of samples of several classes of goods. There has been greater competition, with its attendant ndvantage to the Government in a lower range of p r i m The num-ber of bids on coal increased by 95 per cent; on piece goods and cloth-ing, 52 per cent; and on agricultural implements, 76 per cent. To facilitate matters bids were abtracted and contracts sent out directly from the warehouses by a clerical force detailed from the office at Washington. As a reform that will heighten competition, arrange-ments are being made to have the disbursing officers at each warehouse on the delivery of contracted goods pay for them, instead of submib ting the bills to this ofice for settlement through the Treasury. In order that we may have every advantage our system of ware houses affords, superintendents were required, before asking authority |