We made an estimate at that time of the needs of the examining force and found that we would need 32 additional members to the personnel of the field force. We came to that conclusion in this way: The clerks of the courts reported to us the immense increase in the volume of naturalization papers, the tremendous increase in the number of applicants. They are, have been, and are to-day, standing in line in the clerk's offices and outside of the clerk's offices, down on the street, every day. They have gone as early as 12 o'clock midnight and stood until 9 o'clock in the morning to be able to file their papers.

Mr. CANNON. Where is that, in New York?

Mr. CRIST. That particular place is Philadelphia. It was not an uncommon thing to find them in line at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. We put on temporary help in the various clerks' offices, where they had exhausted the appropriation so far as being able to make them an allowance on an annual basis was concerned, and gave them temporary help to deal with the situation as best they could.

We have had requests for and allowed $59,812 to clerks of courts for approximately 52 clerks for this fiscal year. In no case have we made a greater allowance this year than we did last year.

ALLOTMENTS TO CLERKS OF COURTS.

The CHAIRMAN. Greater than the original allotment or greater than the total allotment?

Mr. CRIST. All of the allotments for this fiscal year have been based on the employment on June 30, 1917. In some cases that was a greater amount than was originally allotted them on July 1, 1916, because we increased throughout the year as much as we could in every instance.

The CHAIRMAN. In some cases it might have been less?

Mr. CRIST. Not the amount actually allotted to them. This estimate was made when the appropriation was considered in connection with the demands upon it that had been necessitated by the increase in the work and the demands coming from the clerks of the courts. and from the general public. I went over the estimate to see what would be the best plan, according to my judgment, to submit allotments for approval for this year. I thought the best thing to do would be to get the most efficient clerical force and use it as the basis. That resulted in a tentative proposition for a reduction in some places, but that was finally adjusted after the matter had been fully considered, so that the same amount of money was continued to them all during this fiscal year, I think, with two or three exceptions. There were some reductions. There were reductions in Chicago, in one court from $3,300 to $3,100 and in another court from $5,575 to $4,900. Those were the only reductions, I think.

The CHAIRMAN. How much of the $150.000 is asked for additional allowance of clerical hire for the clerks of the courts?

Mr. CRIST. At the time that the estimate was made we were in receipt of requests from the clerks of the courts for-I do not know exactly the date that these came in, but at the end of June-we were in receipt from the clerks of the courts of requests aggregating $69,920 for additional clerks to those they were then employing. Of

this amount, $58,100 came from the courts which were then receiving an allowance. They called for 38 additional clerks. From the other clerks, where there had no allowance been made heretofore there were requests for 14 clerks, or nearly $12,000 additional to what had heretofore been provided, there having been no allowance made to those clerks of courts. In addition to that, there are six other courts where applications are pending, aggregating $9,000 more and asking for 9 additional clerks. The total additional due to the clerks of courts and their needs is $78.920. That is greater than the amount which was shown to be necessary last April, at the time this estimate was prepared.

The CHAIRMAN. How much greater?

Mr. CRIST. $9,000.

The CHAIRMAN. How much additional to the clerical force?

Mr. CRIST. Whenever an allowance is made to a clerk of a court for clerical assistance, that means that there has to be a larger number of naturalization papers filed, a larger number of petitions, and that means throwing a greater burden upon the naturalization examining force. To offset that the estimate originally called for 21 examiners and 12 clerks. The last estimate shows the need of 27 examiners. We might be able to get along if we could get the original estimate.

PAY OF EXAMINERS.

The CHAIRMAN. How much do the examiners receive?

Mr. CRIST. The estimated average compensation is $1,620 to the examiners.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the maximum?

Mr. CRIST. They would not any of them get beyond that during the year.

The CHAIRMAN. How much of this total was used for the payment of the examiners?

Mr. CRIST. $43,740 has been asked for, none of which has been used.
The CHAIRMAN. What is the balance of the money for?
Mr. CRIST. That is for the 27 naturalization examiners.

Mr. CANNON. Does that include the per diem allowance for expenses?

Mr. CRIST. No, sir. That is the compensation. The travel and subsistence will be $25,920 additional upon the later estimate of 27 examiners.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the maximum pay of an examiner? Mr. CRIST. The maximum pay of a naturalization examiner is $2.220.

The CHAIRMAN. Is that fixed by regulation?

Mr. CRIST. NO; by the department. There is no written regulation, but that is the highest compensation.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the lowest compensation?

Mr. CRIST. $1,380.

The CHAIRMAN. How many examiners have you, all told?

Mr. CRIST. We have about 70 examiners. I do not mean that as exact.

The CHAIRMAN. Put the exact number in the record.
Mr. CRIST. Yes, sir. (Exact number 68.)

ALIEN EDUCATIONAL WORK.

The CHAIRMAN. How many of them have been employed on the alien educational work?

Mr. CRIST. Exclusively?

The CHAIRMAN. Exclusively or otherwise?

Mr. CRIST. None, exclusively.

The CHAIRMAN. How many of them have been employed on it partly!

Mr. CRIST. Now?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes.

Mr. CRIST. None.

The CHAIRMAN. They are not doing any of that work now?
Mr. CRIST. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What part of the $150,000 was to be devoted to the alien educational work?

Mr. CRIST. I do not think that this estimate shows any for that. The total is needed on account of the increase in the volume of naturalization work.

The CHAIRMAN. When was this estimate prepared?

Mr. CRIST. In April; about the 26th of April I think it was sent up

here.

Secretary WILSON. I think it might be well to qualify the statement with regard to the educational work by stating what the attitude of the department has been about it, because there have been a number of educational works conducted by private citizens and others throughout the country, and it has been stated that our work has been associated with the work of others when we were not associated. The position taken by the department has been that it is not a proper function for any governmental agency, either our department or any other department, to attempt to induce any subject of another country, resident in the United States, to renounce his allegiance to his country. Private citizens might do so, but if a Federal agency should undertake to do so it would place itself in a position where it might properly be rebuked.

The CHAIRMAN. This is to provide educational facilities for persons who have filed their declarations?

Secretary WILSON. Yes, sir. If I may be permitted, I will proceed. The CHAIRMAN. Certainly.

Secretary WILSON. The department has taken this ground in prosecuting, through the Bureau of Naturalization, all of the work pertaining to naturalization: When any subject of a foreign country, of his own volition, by his own voluntary act, declares his intention to become a citizen of the United States, then the interest of the individual and the interest of the citizens of the United States, native and naturalized, requires that he should be as thoroughly familiarized not only with the form of our Government, but with the fundamental principles upon which it rests as possible, and that to accomplish this it is not necessary to establish any Federal Government agencies, but that the local agencies, the local educational institutions should be encouraged to provide the means by which that kind of an education can be furnished. So far as any of the activities of the bureau are concerned, or any of the activities of the department are concerned, we have not attempted to establish any Federal

agencies for such education. We have simply attempted to encourage the local agencies, the school districts throughout the country, to furnish the means by which such information could be furnished to aliens resident in the United States who are seeking of their own volition to become citizens of our country.

The CHAIRMAN. The statement was made that there had been demands from all over the United States for cooperation by the Bureau of Naturalization with the public schools and the teaching of candidates for citizenship at night schools. What has the department done?

Secretary WILSON. We have directed the bureau to send Mr. Crist to various places throughout the country to encourage the local educational agencies to establish school facilities. The only expense we have incurred in connection with the bureau has been the travel expenses of Mr. Crist and occasionally some of the examiners who were convenient to places where they could be of some value to go to places where they could encourage the local authorities to open night schools of this character. As a result there are upward of a thousand of these school districts of the United States that have night-school facilities for aliens, educating them along these lines. In some places they have night facilities for those working in the daytime and day-school facilities for those working at night. The only cost it has been to the Federal Government has been the traveling expenses of some of the representatives of the bureau.

The CHAIRMAN. This estimate was prepared in April and was to provide for the service for part of the last fiscal year. How much was intended to be devoted to this purpose last year?

Mr. CRIST. Not any of that. At that time there was an estimate pending before Congress that had not been disposed of.

The CHAIRMAN. The last fiscal year?

Mr. CRIST. The sundry civil bill had not been disposed of at the time the estimate was prepared. We had assurance that we would get the increase of $30,000 that was estimated for.

The CHAIRMAN. From whom?

Mr. CRIST. From individuals in Congress.

The CHAIRMAN. That $30,000 was not asked for for any purpose except in connection with the alien educational work?

Mr. CRIST. That is why it has no direct bearing on the proposition. The CHAIRMAN. What portion of this was to be used during the fiscal year just passed?

Mr. CRIST. For the educational work?

ALLOTMENTS TO CLERKS OF COURTS AND EXAMINERS.

The CHAIRMAN. No; any of this work, a part for the clerks and a part for the examiners?

Mr. CRIST. We had requests in from clerks of courts for between 40 and 50 clerks. We would have been obliged to give them, because of the needs, their portion of the $150,000.

The CHAIRMAN. It is very simple; a part of it was expected to be expended before the 1st of July?

Mr. CRIST. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How much was it estimated would be spent? Mr. CRIST. I never made any estimate, because I did not know when it was going to pass. In the first place, we would have granted the demands from the clerks of the courts and then appointed the examiners in the various districts.

The CHAIRMAN. There must have been some method of determining what was wanted last year and what was wanted this year? Mr. CRIST. It was made up with the idea that it would last us during the remaining portion of the last fiscal year, and whatever portion remained could be used this fiscal year; that we would run it along together. There was no fixed amount. I see your point. At that time we had an amount of money in our appropriation that had accumulated from lapses, through failures to fill positions immediately on the 1st of July, vacancies occurring during the year and otherwise, which was available to expend for temporary service. We would have used that money to carry out the fiscal year and bear all of the expense in the naturalization field service. We had enough to do that. We employed and carried on the rolls about 26 temporaries until the 30th of June. That portion of the money we would have made use of until the fiscal year had run out and then come in on the 1st of July with this appropriation. The same thing would have been true of the clerks of the courts. We would probably not have used $5,000 of that money in the last fiscal year if we had gotten it on the 1st of May.

The CHAIRMAN. You said that there was a considerable public demand for this work?

Mr. CRIST. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. That was entirely stimulated by the bureau?

Mr. CRIST. Not entirely.

The CHAIRMAN. Very largely,

Mr. CRIST. I do not know how it is possible to calculate that. Originally the educational

Secretary WILSON. I think, Mr. Chairman, you are correct in that

statement.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Secretary, I do not know whether you are familiar with this or not, but I will read it.

An emergency estimate of $150,000 has been submitted by the bureau to meet various needs to the close of the fiscal year and to be made available during the next fiscal year in addition to our regular appropriation. It is of the greatest importance that every effort be made to secure legislative approval of this estimate, in order to meet war conditions.

In order to secure this money it will be necessary for you and your examiners in a judicious and discreet way to prevail in person and not by letter, on local influences, such as superintendents of schools, judges of courts, clerks of courts, and others, and have them write or telegraph their Representatives and Senators in Congress to appear before the members of the Appropriations Committees of the Senate and House and insist upon the bureau receiving the conservative appropriation which it has asked for. Without this additional appropriation it will be needless for you to make any request upon the bureau for any allotment in addition to those which will be made to you on the 1st of July.

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