The public health service conducts scientific investigations of contaginns and infections dis eases and matters relating to the public health. The surgeon-general is required by law to call a conference of State and Territorial boards of health or quarantine authorities each year and additional conferences when, in his opinion, the interests of the public health demand such action. He has the care of sick and disabled seamen at 23 marine hospitals and 123 other relief stations. He enforces and regulates the national quarantine laws and has supervision over the medical officers detailed in the consular offices at foreign ports and those engaged in the mental and physical examination of ar riving aliens.
The principal duties of the coast guard are rendering assistance to vessels in distress and saving life and property; destruction and re moval of wrecks and other dangers to naviga tion; extending medical aid to sailors engaged in deep-sea fisheries; protection of the customs revenue; operating as a part of the navy in time of war, when the President shall direct; en forcement of the laws relating to quarantine and neutrality; suppression of mutinies on mer chant vessels; protection of game and the seal fisheries of Alaska and the enforcement of the sponge-fishing laws.
The supervising architect has charge of the erection of public buildings, selecting the sites, securing the necessary cession of jurisdiction from the States affected, preparing the draw ings, estimates and specifications and superin tending the construction thereof. He is charged with the care and maintenance of all Federal buildings outside of Washington.
While the Federal reserve board is actually an independent body, its work is closely allied to that of the Treasury Department and its headquarters are in the Treasury building in Washington. Its functions are to exercise supervision over the affairs of the Federal reserve banks, issue Federal reserve notes to member banks and in general to perform the various banking functions described in the Fed eral Reserve Act. The support of the board is derived from the several reserve banks, through assessments levied semi-annually, pro rata. it has full power to appoint its own employees and to regulate the conditions of their em ployment. Both the Secretary of the Treas ury and the comptroller of the currency are members of the Federal Reserve Board.