Art. XXIII.

Rent and miscel laneous account.

To what Consuls allowed, and how.

Unsalaried Consuls, and those in Schedule C.

Disbursements

for office

No voucher for postage.

To cover only official busines.

RENT AND MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES.

340..This account is to be transmitted quarterly to the Secretary of State. Since the 4th day of August, 1869, these two accounts have been consolidated, and the consolidated account embraces the following items, viz: Rent; postage; stationery; freight and charges on boxes and packages, to and from the Department; flag-staff and fixtures; flag; consular seal; consular press; consular arms; record-books; binding consular letters; blank forms, as prescribed by the Department; loss by exchange. (For a form, see Form 90.) If the fees, applied as directed in paragraph 371, fail to meet this account, the Consul will draw on the Secretary of State.

341.. Rent.-Consuls in Schedule B may charge for rent the sum actually paid by them, provided that sum does not exceed twenty per cent. of the salary of the Consul as named in the statute. The voucher must show that the office is devoted solely to the business of the Consulate; otherwise, except where Consuls have a right to engage in business, the account will not be passed. (Form No. 91.)

342.. Unsalaried Consuls are not entitled to rent, unless the fees exceed the amount which they are allowed to retain for their salary. In no event can they retain from the fees collected by them more than the amount actually paid for rent, which must never exceed the rate of $500 for the year. They can never draw for rent or compensation. Consuls in Schedule C are not allowed "rent."

343..No Consul will be allowed disbursements for repairs of office, for care or cleaning of office, for furniture without previous authority from the Department to purchase it, nor for anything except the actual expense of office-rent as herein before provided.

344.. Postage.-From the nature of the case, no voucher will be required for this item beyond the personal explanation of the Consul.

345.. Postage is not to be charged by Consuls in their account with the Department, except on dis

patches and letters received and written by them on official business and by reason of their office.

346..Letters of unofficial persons, not being members of their own families, are not to be sent by Consular Officers to the Department with official dispatches for transmission to persons in the United States. All unofficial letters are to be indorsed on the left upper corner of the envelope thus: U. S. Consulate at

Art. XXIII.

Unofficial letters.

Economy to be

Consul. The signature of the Consul will be regarded as a certificate that the letter comes within this rule. Letters not so indorsed and signed will not be forwarded through the domestic mails of the United States. 347.. Consuls will also take care to avoid unneces- exercised. sary expenditures for postage. The use of light paper in formal returns, the limitation of their size, the shipment by sailing-vessel of reports that can bide delay, the excision of blank half sheets from short inclosures, are suggested as means to this end; and consular letters to appraisers may be inclosed in dispatches to the Department.

348.. Prepayment of postage on invoices to collectors Prepayment. of customs is not required, except in countries where increased postage is charged for omitting such prepay

ment.

349.. Stationery.--Consuls are allowed for such stationery, comprised within the following articles, as may be used in the official correspondence of principal Consular Officers only, namely: Ruled cap paper, with an inch blank margin around each page; letter, note, wrapping and blotting paper, envelopes, quills, steel pens and pen-holders, ink and inkstands, wafers, wax, pencils, gum-bottle and brush, gum-arabic, India rubber, rulers, tape or narrow ribbon for triplicate invoices, twine, cases or boxes for the safe-keeping and preservation of samples and invoices.

350..Articles of this description have often been furnished by the Department to principal Consular Officers. Where that has been done hitherto, the practice will be continued. In making requisitions, Consuls will be careful to state what sort of stationery is wanted, and the amount of each kind.

Allowance of

stationery.

To whom allowed.

Art. XXIII.

Freight.

Flags, &c

Office furniture.

Binding.

Loss by exchange.

351.. Freight and charges on boxes and packages to and from the Department of State.-When the boxes and packages are addressed to or from the Consul, the voucher should be accompanied by a brief memorandum, showing in general terms their contents.

352.. Flag-staff and fixtures, flag, seal, press, recordbooks, blank forms.-These several articles are usually furnished by the Department to Consuls, but not to Consular Agents; except in cases of urgent necessity, the Consul should write for them to the Department.

353..Furniture.—The United States expect their Consuls to occupy suitable and neat offices. For this purpose there is allowed to them a sum for rent deemed sufficient, and they are allowed for furniture a book case or cases capable of containing the archives, a suitable desk or table, and a few plain chairs. Carpets, matting, curtains, gas-fixtures, and like articles of furniture, as well as fire, light, and servants, will not be provided by the Government, and will not be allowed in consular accounts. In all cases, before incurring expense for furniture, it is expected that Consuls will obtain the sanction of the Department.

354.. Binding.-A Consular Officer should, as fast as his correspondence accumulates in sufficient numbers, cause it to be neatly bound in the manner prevailing in his Consulate. If practicable, it is better to have this work done at his office.

355..Loss by exchange on the amount of the accounts.— Consular Officers who desire that the losses by exchange actually and necessarily sustained in the negotiation or sale of their drafts shall be allowed at the Treasury, are instructed that hereafter, in making up their accounts they will be required to present vouchers in accordance with prescribed forms, exhibiting

1st. The date of draft.

2d. The amount of draft in United States currency. 3d. Gross amount of draft in foreign currency.

4th. The rate of exchange.

5th. The cost of negotiation or sale of draft.

6th. The net proceeds in foreign currency.

7th. The net proceeds in the United States currency.

8th. Upon whom and on what account drawn. Art. XXIII. (Forms 92 and 93.)

356..The Department has noticed with surprise and regret that, in a few cases, the amounts charged in consular bills for loss in exchange have been unnecessarily large, and greater than they would have been if proper care had been taken to protect the interest and credit of the Government of the United States. Whenever any such instance of inadvertence or carelessness is hereafter brought to the attention of the Department, the Consul so offending will be prohibited from drawing on the Government, and required to transmit his accounts to the proper Department in due form, and to wait until after their adjustment before the payment of the same. When such accounts have been adjusted by the accounting officers, and not until then, will he be authorized to draw on the bankers for the exact amount which is found to be due to him, without any allowance for loss in exchange; or a bill on the bankers will be transmitted to him.

DISBURSEMENTS FOR RELIEF OF SEAMEN.

357..This account should be a complete statement Relief of seamen. of the cases of relief afforded to destitute American seamen during the quarter, and should be kept as shown in Form No. 94. (For forms of sundry vouchers, see Nos. 95, 96, 97, 98.) The payments on this account are to be made out of fees if sufficient remains after payment of salary and miscellaneous accounts. The deficiency may be met by a draft on the Secretary of State, which should state on its face whether it is payable in coin or currency.

Auditor.

358..This return is made to the Fifth Auditor of the Report to Fifth Treasury. Reference is made to the previous instructions for information as to the items to be embraced in this account and the vouchers to sustain them.

RETURN OF EXTRA WAGES.

359..This should be a complete return for the quarter Extra wages. of the portion of extra wages collected, under the stat

ute, which belongs to the United States. The account

Art. XXIII.

Quarterly ac count to Fifth Auditor.

Record of Treasury fees.

All fees.

Fees on vessels,

General fees.

Aggregate of fees.

Salary account.

should be rendered to the Fifth Auditor, as shown in Form No. 99.

360..The Consul will also transmit to the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury quarterly an account -current, showing the amount of extra wages received, and on whose account, and the amount spent for the relief of destitute seamen, and how spent. This account will be made up in the manner shown by Form No. 100.

RECORD OF TREASURY FEES.

361..To the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury the Consul should make three quarterly returns of fees.

362..The first is a record of all the Treasury fees received during the quarter, and should be, if the Consul resides at a seaport, as shown in Form No. 101. If the Consul resides at an inland place, it should be as shown in Form No. 102.

363..The second is the return of fees received on account of vessels aud from other sources. This account should be kept and the return made as shown in Form No. 103.

364.. The third is the return from the general feebook of those fees not enumerated and contained in the return of fees prescribed in Form No. 103, which have been received at the Consulate during the quarter. A form for this return is shown in No. 104.

365..The Consul will also, on the 31st day of December in each year, in form as shown in No. 105, return to the Secretary of State a statement of the aggregate of the fees received at the Consulate and the Consular Agencies during the calendar year.

SALARY ACCOUNT.

366..The first "salary account" will be for the time, not exceeding thirty days, that the Consul is receiving his instructions, (No. 106.) This is drawn in currency before sailing. A certificate (see No. 107) of the number of days occupied in receiving the instructions accompanies the account. All drafts on account of salary should be drawn on the Secretary of the Treasury.