of Governor Herbert R. O'Conor 315

monthly employment and payroll survey is compiled by the Statistical Division,
approximately 2, 000 firms being canvassed monthly.

Real Estate Commission—This Agency was created at your last session
for the purpose of licensing persons engaged in the real estate business. Under
its provisions, the Commission has licensed 1, 169 real estate brokers in Mary-
land, and 104 in the District of Columbia; 186 associate brokers in Maryland
and 34 in the District of Columbia; 1, 096 real estate salesmen in Maryland and
355 in the District of Columbia.

Bureau of Mines—This Bureau, among other functions, issues weighmaster
licenses for solid fuel throughout the State and also inspects weigh-scales in
that portion of the State outside of Baltimore. This is the third year that the
Bureau has been engaged in this work.

The Bureau contacts the various State-owned power plants and has given
material assistance in cases of spontaneous ignition in coal piles at State
power plants.

The supervision of vocational night mining classes was continued, as well
as the summer short course. In 1940 the Short Course was held in Garrett
County, which was the second occasion when this course has been held else-
where than at Frostburg, Allegany County.

State Auditor—The work of this office under the leadership of Mr. Daniel
L. Clayland III, has been completely reorganized and, at the present time, there
are six certified public accountants on the staff and the remainder are eligible
to take the examination.

The program outlined for the next two years includes: uniform account-
ing systems in all county offices and State departments where practical; an
inventory and permanent record of all fixed assets of the State; uniform travel
regulations.

Hall of Records—The Hall of Records has two principal functions; First,
the preservation of governmental and private records and, second, making
these records available for research. Preserving these records entails negotia-
tions for their transfer to the Hall of Records, the actual transfer under super-
vision, fumigation and cleaning on arrival at the Hall of Records; storing in
the fireproof vaults; unfolding, arranging and boxing, repairing or photo-
graphing whenever necessary.

The second function includes indexing, cataloging, listing and calendaring.
It also includes service to persons engaged in research who come in person and
for whom books, copies of records and photographs must be supplied; as well
as the handling of requests by mail.

During the past two years records have been transferred from the Adju-
tant General's Office, the Office of the Clerk of the Court of Prince George's
County, the Maryland Penitentiary, the Baltimore City Jail, the Maryland
Historical Society and St. John's College. Within the next few months the
records of the Clerk of the Court of Frederick County will be transferred, and
in the course of the next two years records from other offices will come in.
The facilities for storage of records at the Hall have been increased within the
last few months by the completion of the 6th deck of the fireproof vault.

Indexing, one of the most necessary and the most expensive of this depart-
ment's activities, has been increased due to the fact that the Hall of Records
has sponsored an NYA project for this purpose. In the course of the last year,