Plays, concerts, lectures, etc., are said to have been the character of entertainments given in it during the year. No special rates, privileges or rebates are allowed here by professional performers. No charge of admission is made to members. To others the charges are 10, 15, 25, and 50 cents; and the receipts from this source during the year were reported as $285.85, with a total expense of $7,055 for performances.

The billiard room is in the veteran's club house, and was in good condition. It contains 5 billiard tables, 6 pool tables, 1 bagatelle table, 1 pigeon-hole table, and 4 shuffle boards, all in good condition. There is no charge for games, which are almost constantly in progress when the rooms are open. The veteran's club house also has 18 cardrooms. Chess, checkers, backgammon, etc., are also played; and members can assemble at the club house, or in barracks and hospital, every week day to play these games, if they so wish. It was said that the amusement rooms are inspected weekly by a commissioned officer. Quoits was said to be the only outdoor game played.

The societies among the members are as follows: A Grand Army of the Republic post, with 248 members, which meets weekly in the society hall; a Union Veteran Legion, with 164 members, which meets weekly in the veterans' clubhouse; and the Soldiers and Sailors' Auxiliary to the Women's Christian Temperance Union, with 300 members, which meets weekly in the chapel. It was stated that these societies are not aids to discipline. The Gold Club, as an organization, was disbanded in 1900, there being no more applicants for membership, the veterans' clubhouse, the library, etc., supplying the social wants of the members.

Religious services are held in the chapel and the Religious services. additional chapel, both of which are in every way suitable for the purpose. The chapel has a seating capacity of about 450, and the additional chapel of about 550. There are two chaplains, Protestant and Catholic, both of whom live on the Home grounds. The Protestant chaplain receives $125 a month, furnished quarters, fuel, light, and forage for one horse. The Catholic chaplain receives $110 a month, furnished quarters, fuel, and light. There are six Protestant and seven Catholic services per week, all of which are said to be fairly well attended, there being an average attendance of about 350 at the Protestant services and about 550 at the Catholic services. It was reported that the Catholic chaplain makes daily and the Protestant chaplain almost daily visits to the sick. Their other duties consist in visiting members in barracks, attending the sick, officiating at funerals, etc.

Farm.

The farm consists of 285 acres under cultivation, but there is no vegetable garden. During the year, it was stated, 24,355 gallons of milk were yielded by the cows, and it was worth 15 cents per gallon, by the quantity, in the nearest town. A considerable enlargement of the dairy, with a large increase of its herd of cows, is under consideration. If adopted, it will involve an expenditure of probably $20,000 to build barns for the cows, quarters for the civilian employees, and sheds for the feed, as well as decrease or prevent a crop of hay from the ground. It is doubtful whether this expenditure would be wise. Milk can usually be purchased cheaper than it can be produced by the Home, but the quality of the outside milk would not be so good. The value of the live stock on hand on June 30, 1902, was reported as $2,795,

and the stock consisted of 21 horses for farm and road work, 1 mule for cart work, 1 bull, and 30 cows. There are also a number of deer in the park. Cattle or other animals no longer required are disposed of by being condemned and sold. There are 21 private vehicles and 8 private horses on hand. A charge of 25 cents per day, not including the care of the horse, is made for keeping private horses that are not entitled to forage.

There are 11 buildings pertaining to the farm, all in fairly good condition for old buildings, and they consist of a frame building for the dairymen, a frame dairy barn and stable, 4 cattle sheds, a frame storeroom, a carriage house, a frame stable, a wagon shed, a frame corncrib, and a frame carriage house. There were 39 public vehicles, as follows: 3 ambulances, I hearse, 2 carriages, 3 buggies, 1 omnibus, 5 one-horse carts, 14 two-horse carts, 1 treasury wagon, 8 one-horse wagons, and 1 street sprinkler.

The transactions in farm products during the fiscal year, at this Branch, may be summarized as follows:

Value of farm product turned to commissary

Fed to stock

Sold..

Cost of maintaining farm proper (about).

Cost of maintaining lawn and flower garden..

Cost of maintaining transportation and teams

Credit for use of transportation not known.

$3,056. 40 2, 129. 27 1,223.03

4, 100. 64

8, 160. 16

3, 159. 89

The average number of employees on the farm during the year was said to be 14; in the flower garden, 11; on the lawn, 38; in teaming, 22; total, 82.

Disbursements.

The accounts and disbursements pertaining to the Central Branch were examined from September 19, 1901, the date of the last inspection, to September 2, 1902, and the transactions may be summarized as follows (the accounts of the treasurer of the Branch and the treasurer of the post fund being consolidated), to wit:

All of the above balances were on deposit in the National Bank of Commerce, New York, and the Third National Bank, of Dayton, Ohio,

except $88.47 cash on hand under the pension fund and $205.98 cash on hand under the post fund. During the year the receipts and expenditures under General fund. the general fund amounted to $777,062.41 and $674,509.73, respectively. Of the total receipts, all was by transfer, except $34,796.15, which was received from sales and other sources. The expenditures, it was said, were all by check, no cash payments having been made. The sum of $16,946.85 was received on account of the posthumous fund, and $10,906.03 was disbursed, leaving a balance for the year under this fund of $6,040.82.

It was reported that during the year 1,231 open-market purchases, amounting to $18,221.42, were made at this Branch; and the goods so purchased consisted principally of general commissary supplies, vegetables, fruits, eggs and chickens, oysters, plants, seeds, drugs, repairs, and miscellaneous items.

The average daily number of men employed during the year under the general fund was reported as 954, of whom 8 were officers, 42 were noncommissioned officers, 841 were members, and 63 were civilians. The total amount paid these employees during the year was reported as $172,312.26, of which the officers received $15,951.75; the noncommissioned officers received $10,379,16; the members received $105,828.66, and the civilians received $40,142.69. As compared with the preceding fiscal year, there was an increase of 68 employes under this fund. It was said that an average of 50 to 75 men per day had worked without pay (not as a penalty) during the year, mostly in kitchen, camp, and police work.

The average cost of maintenance per capita at this Branch for the fiscal year 1902 was reported as $132.57.

Post fund.

Col. John W. Byron has charge of the post fund, which he manages most carefully and efficiently. The buildings pertaining to the post fund at this Branch are: Band quarters, barber shop and news stand, beer hall, chaplains' quarters, veterans' clubhouse, hotel, library, gate lodge, palm house, propagating houses, beer hall pavilion, pavilion near grotto, iron shed with seats, and the iron shed over a drinking fountain. All these are used for post-fund purposes, except the palm houses, propagating houses, gate lodge, and the chaplains' quarters. The memorial hall is also used for post-fund purposes. A part of the Home store building is used for barrack purposes and a part is used for camp dispensary and guard office.

During the past fiscal year the transactions of the post fund included receipts of $147,393.97, received as follows: From Home store, $28,028.16; from beer hall, $90,410.75; from hotel, $13,007.29; from transportation, $14,511.92; from amusements, $285.85; from other sources, $1,150. The total expenditures for the year were reported as $139,252.56, of which $72,582.04 was for stock for the store, and the amount of net profit for the year was reported as $2,504.79. It was stated that during the year 200,040 gallons of beer were sold. This beer cost $38,257, and was sold for $88,332.05-a profit of $50,075.05, or about 138 per cent. Cash registers are in use as a check on business at the Home store. At the beer hall tickets are furnished to the cashier in books, each book containing 150 consecutively numbered sheets, each sheet containing 100 tickets, and each ticket selling for 5

cents.

Members purchase tickets and exchange them for beer, cigars,

and sandwiches. The tickets, when received by the beer sellers, are dropped through a slot into locked boxes fastened to the counter, the keys to the boxes being in the possession of the superintendent of the post fund. Each day the tickets are taken from the boxes by the superintendent and burned. The cashier is required to settle with the superintendent at the rate of $5 for every sheet taken from the book of tickets. The personal supervision of the tickets by the superintendent seems to have resulted in a considerable increase of revenue over what was received under the former careless methods.

The average daily number of employees under the post fund was said to be 136-83 members and 53 civilians; and the total amount paid them during the year was $30,146.92, of which the members received $13,567.56, and the civilians $16,579.42.

The number of pensioners on the rolls at this Branch Pension fund. on June 30, 1902, was 5,246, of whom 4,049 were actually present at the Home. The whole number of pensioners on the rolls is about 92.4 per cent of the total membership present and absent on June 30, 1902. The total amount of pension money received by the treasurer during the fiscal year 1902 was $718,567.83, and in the same time he paid out $723,381.15-$542,623.57 in currency and $180,757.58 by check. The balance due pensioners was $65,408.60, and this belonged to 478 pensioners, 366 of whom had less than $100 each to their credit, 97 had between $100 and $500 each, 11 had between $500 and $1,000 each, and 4 had more than $1,000 each.

At this Branch 1,468 pensioners receive pensions of $6 per month, 1,296 receive $8 per month, 268 receive $10 per month, 1,942 receive $12 per month, 73 receive $14 per month, 63 receive $16 per month, and the others receive sums ranging from $7.50 to $72 per month. The latter is the highest pension paid here, and it is received by one member only. The sum of $135,472.73 was paid to absentee pensioners last year. Four clerks are employed on pension business, and they receive, in the aggregate, the sum of $1,800 per year.

Quartermaster de

partment.

Quartermaster supplies are stored as follows: All kinds of property supplies in the property building, in the central portion of the camp; the clothing of members on furlough and property awaiting condemnation, etc., is stored in the property shed, in the southwestern part of the camp; lumber is stored in the lumber shed, in the southern part of the camp; and farm products, etc., are stored in the root cellar, on the farm. These buildings are all dry, and in good condition as to repairs, but are of insufficient capacity. Quartermaster stores are also kept in barrack cellars, and in the lumber and coal shed, etc.

The value of quartermaster stores (current supplies) on hand June 30, 1902, was reported as $13,498.15. Purchased property, and property received from the general depot, on its arrival at the Branch is inspected by a committee of three appointed by the Governor. When accepted, an abstract of receipts is made up, and the accounts charged accordingly. Property transferred to the Branch by other Branches is taken up and receipted for by the quartermaster, as per the invoice furnished with the goods received. Issues of property are made only on regular requisition, certified to the quartermaster and approved by the Governor. Issues of perishable property to barracks, hospital, offices, etc., are made monthly and trimonthly, and placed on quartermaster's perishable-property book, after being abstracted.

Imperishable property is not issued, but is placed in use in the various barracks, offices, etc., account of same being kept on the imperishableproperty books by the quartermaster. Worn-out property is held by the quartermaster until condemned by an inspecting officer of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Lost or destroyed property is cared for through the action of a board of survey. Inventories are taken monthly, quarterly and annually. After condemnation by an inspecting officer of the National Home, unserviceable property is sold or destroyed, as he may direct. It was reported that during the year quartermaster property that originally cost $64,972.27 was condemned; and such of it as was sold brought $3,262.86.

Clothing is cared and accounted for under a system of clothing regulations that seems to meet every requirement.

It was reported that during the year the sum of $1,639.39 was received here from the sale of rags, and that no clippings pertaining to the Branch proper were sold. It was reported that clothing was inspected and condemned during the year that originally cost $47,831.44. This is an average of $10.15 per man of the average population present.

Laundry.

It

The laundry building is located in the southwest part of the camp, and was in good condition. appears to be of ample capacity. Soiled clothing is put into bundles in the barracks, and is sent to the laundry on Monday mornings. Each member is permitted to send one set of underclothing per week, and other clothing and bedding when necessary. The private clothing of members is not laundered by the Home under any conditions. The average number of pieces of clothing laundered per month during the year was reported as 171,893.

Forty-six men are employed in the laundry, and it was reported that during the year the sum of $4,980 was expended for labor and $980.18 for material. None of the work was done outside.

Fire department.

The fire department was tested and found to be satisfactory. The chemical engines were prompt to respond to the alarm-the first in action in two and one-half minutes and the second in four minutes-but the streams from the hose were rather slow, the first stream of water being six and one-half minutes and the second one eight and one-half minutes. No fires occurred during the past fiscal year for which the fire department was called out. For protection against fire, each barrack has 50 or more feet of hose and a number of fire buckets filled with water on each floor, and all hospital wards have from 60 to 100 feet of hose and fire buckets, a fire engine, ladder truck, and 2 hose reels and 3 chemical engines at the fire-department station; 1 hose reel at the laundry, 1 hose reel at the hospital, 6 fire extinguishers on the ladder truck, 25 at the hospital, and 27 distributed through various other buildings in camp; 34 fire hydrants, and a standpipe with 65 pounds pressure. The apparatus seemed adequate and was in good condition. It is said to be tested weekly. The fire department consists of an active and an auxiliary force. The active force consists of 50 men, members and civilians, employed in the engineer's department. The auxiliary force consists of 4 men on each floor in the hospital and the barracks, to be designated by the surgeons and the commanders of companies, respectively. Foremen of shops, dairy, and stable likewise designate 2 men to have charge of the fire apparatus in their respective buildings.