EEPORT OF NATIONAL, MUSEUM, 1920. 53 



in March, 19:20, reported to Congress the findings on its survey of 

 existing conditions in the executive departments and the independ- 

 ent branches, making recommendations for the betterment of the 

 service generally, which will, of course, affect the Museum. 



Toward the close of the fiscal year. Congress passed a civil pension 

 bill, by which an employee of the Government on reaching 70 years 

 of age in the clerical and 65 years in the mechanical service, after 

 serving his country from 15 to 30 years in a civil capacity, can be 

 retired on a small annuity, the amount governed by length of service 

 and by salary during last ten years of service. The act also pro- 

 vides for the retirement, under certain conditions, of employees who 

 have become totally incapacitated for efficient service by reason of 

 disease or injury before reaching the nominal age. The act will be- 

 come operative in August, 1920, and a deduction of 2| per cent will 

 be made from the salaries of all Government employees toward the 

 fund for carrying the system into effect. 



To facilitate administration, the division of history was separated 

 from the department of anthropology at the close of June 30, 1920, 

 becoming an independent division. 



The changes in the staff this year were few. After the death 

 of Mr. Brown, the position of registrar of the Museum was abol- 

 ished and a reorganization of the work made. The records relat- 

 ing to accessions, to material for examination and report and to 

 distribution of specimens were transferred to the office of corre- 

 si^ondence and documents, where the files of the Museum are kept, 

 and the duties of shipping clerk were combined wdth those of prop- 

 erty clerk, Mr. W. A. Knowles being advanced to property and 

 shipping clerk on August 1. 



The collections of echinoderms were removed from the division 

 of marine invertebrates. A separate division of echinoderms was 

 established on April 1 and placed in charge of Mr. Austin H. Clark, 

 who was promoted from assistant curator of marine invertebrates 

 to curator of echinoderms. As he had devoted considerable study 

 to the Onj'chophores, they were included in the new division. On 

 the same date Mr. Waldo L. Schmitt, assistant curator, was advanced 

 to associate curator of marine invertebrates. 



Mr. William Schaus' honorary connection with the collections 

 was changed on July 1 from assistant custodian of Lepidoptera to 

 assistant curator of insects, and on December 16, Mr. S. A. Rohwer 

 was appointed custodian of Hymenoptera, succeeding Mr. J. C. 

 Crawford. 



Dr. F. N. Blanchard resigned as aid in reptiles and batrachians 

 and Miss Doris M. Cochran was appointed to that position on No- 

 vember 1. In the division of plants Mr. Ellsworth P. Killip served 

 as aid from July 7 under a temporary appointment. 



