142 MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. 



September 15, and to recommend certain arrangements for the 

 winter to our Board of Trustees meeting on August 14. At this 

 meeting the Director reported the negotiations to the Board, 

 which thereupon voted "that the principle underlying the corre- 

 spondence between Commander Emmons and the Director is 

 approved by the Board of Trustees and that the details regarding 

 use by the Navy of the Laboratory buildings and equipment be 

 referred to the Director and the Assistant Director with power." 

 In accordance with this vote a contract was drawn up between 

 the Marine Biological Laboratory and the United States of 

 America for the Navy Department, leasing without compensa- 

 tion the mess hall, laundry, kitchen and store house, the home- 

 stead, the lecture hall building, the yacht club and the Dexter 

 House together with all necessary equipment from September 15, 



1917, to May 15, 1918; inventories were attached. It was 

 agreed that there should be compensation for all wear and tear 

 of a damaging character, and that the Navy Department should 

 pay for insurance and all expenses of occupancy. Provision was 

 also made for supervision by the Laboratory of all alterations in 

 buildings, restoration of original conditions as desired, and re- 

 tention of heating appliances by the Laboratory. 



In accordance with this contract the buildings named, with 

 the exception of the Dexter House, which was not needed, are 

 being occupied by the Navy Department. 



The spirit of the dealings has been that we should render the 

 greatest possible service to the Navy without prejudice to our 

 work of investigation and instruction. With the expiration of 

 the contract next May the question will arise how to correlate 

 the needs of the Navy with our own demands for the session of 



1918. It is clear that unforeseen circumstances may arise 

 requiring emergency action, and it is therefore suggested that the 

 Board should leave adequate discretion to the Directors for 

 dealing with the situation up to the time of its next meeting. 



We are proceeding with the usual arrangements for the next 

 summer session believing that it is the duty of scientific men not 

 called directly to war service to maintain their scientific activities. 

 It was expected that the war would exert an unfavorable effect 

 upon the Laboratory; to a certain extent this expectation has 



