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U. S. DEPARTMENTS and the signal-officer, in charge of the signal-service, which oversees the seacoast service; the quartermaster-general, with the duty of providing the army with supplies; the commissary-general, who sees to the rations or food of the army; the paymaster, who keeps accounts; and the surgeon-general are important officers of the department. There also are an ordnance department and an engineer corps, the chief of ordnance and the chief of engineers being very prominent and important officers. This department also has a bureau of insular affairs, a custodian of public buildings and a landscape-gardener, while every division or bureau named also has a head-clerk. (See and .)

Department of the Navy. The navy has one admiral and 155 rear-admirals, 20 of whom are in service. The grade of commodore on the active list has been abolished from the navy. The navy department was not formed until 1798, and has eight bureaus of yards and docks, navigation, ordnance, construction and repairs, equipment and recruiting, provisions and clothing, steam engineering, medicine and surgery. The duties of the heads of these departments, three of whom rank as rear-admirals while in office, are similar to those of the war department, and are sufficiently indicated by the name of the bureau. (See, , and .)

The Postoffice Department. The postoffice department, permanently established in 1794, has, besides the postmaster-general, four assistant-postmasters, each with a corps of superintendents and assistants. The first assistant-postmaster has charge of the money-order system and the (q. v.), where all unclaimed mail is sent, the free delivery system and the location of new offices. The second assistant arranges the mail service, making contracts, furnishing bags, locks etc. The third assistant has charge of the making and distributing of stamps, postal cards, wrappers, the collection of revenue from postoffices and other financial operations. The fourth assistant has charge of post-office inspectors, receives applications for

postmasters, issues their commissions, and investigates losses by mail. See.

The Department of the Interior. The department of the interior was formed in 1849, and has charge of public lands, Indians, pensions, patents, education, the census and geological survey. There are two assistant secretaries; a commissioner of public lands; a commissioner of pensions, with the oversight of 18 pension agencies; the commissioner of Indian affairs, with a board of ten commissioners and 70 agents; the commissioner of patents, of education and of the geological survey and the reclamation service. (See, , , , , , , and .)

Department of Agriculture. The agricultural department, formed in 1889, has charge of experimental stations where new plants are tested, of the distribution of rare seeds and plants, the collection of statistics, the study of animal diseases and insect pests weather observations etc. (See, and .)

The Department of Commerce has charge of the interests of commerce, trade and manufactures; also of the census, of statistics, of steamboat service and navigation. The bureaus of corporations and manufactures, the light-house board, the fish commission, the coast and geodetic survey, the bureau of standards and the reports of consular officials and of customs and revenue officials belong to this department. See {{NSRW article link|Coast-Survey, {{NSRW article link|Fish-Culture}} and {{NSRW article link|Navigation Laws}}.

The Department of Labor. The purpose of this department is to promote the welfare of wage earners, to improve their working conditions and advance their opportunities for employment. Among other things, it deals with naturalization and immigration and through its Children's Bureau with the welfare of children. See {{NSRW article link|Immigration Bureau}}.

The Department of Justice. The attorney-general presides over this department and conducts suits for the United States. This department is distinct from the supreme court.  United States Names and Meanings.