THE DIRECTOR S REPORT. 430 



tension, because the Laboratory will be on a sounder basis when 

 a larger number of institutions feel responsibility for their share 

 of its support. 



The growth of the Laboratory in numbers and the yearly 

 purchase of houses in Woods' Hole by members of the Laboratory 

 have combined to reduce the living accommodations in Woods 

 Hole for transient workers at the Laboratory below the margin 

 of safety. There is no doubt that if we have even a slight 

 increase of numbers another year some will be unable to secure 

 rooms in the village, and the price of available rooms will become 

 excessive. Last season the Laboratory rented a house for use 

 as a woman's dormitory with accommodations for about 14, and 

 for some years past over 20 men have been accommodated in the 

 stone building. We are face to face with the actual necessity 

 of providing a dormitory for women. Some emergency pro- 

 vision must be made for the summer of 1913, and at the same 

 time we must look beyond this to the necessity of more satis- 

 factory and permanent provision. We cannot expect that the 

 villagers will take care of any increase, because they find it more 

 profitable to rent their houses to families than rooms to detached 

 individuals. 



After the erection of the new building it is possible that one 

 of the smaller laboratory buildings might be made over as a 

 dormitory for women; but whether this is desirable or not, it is 

 important that the matter should receive prompt consideration 

 in order that there may be no handicap on the attendance of 

 women at the Laboratory. It is suggested that committees, 

 both of the Board of Trustees and of the Corporation, be organ- 

 ized to consider the problem. 



During the past summer the assistant director undertook to 

 collect funds for much needed improvements and enlargement of 

 the mess. Appeals were made to members of the Board of 

 Trustees and of the Corporation and former members of the 

 Laboratory with very gratifying results. There exists to-day, 

 as in earlier periods of the history of the Laboratory, a strong 

 feeling of loyalty and attachment to the interests of the institu- 

 tion, and it is my conviction that this feeling should be organized 

 in some permanent form to serve definite needs of the Laboratory. 



