REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1922. 19 



frames and sashes on the ground and third stories, including those 

 of the courts. 



In the Arts and Industries Building the repairs included the con- 

 version of the second story southeast range into two exhibition halls 

 by the removal of one partition and the construction of another; 

 the painting of seven office rooms and three exhibition halls — ^the 

 north hall and the two halls in the southeast range, second story; 

 the repairing and refinishing of the oak wainscoting and settees at 

 the main entrance; the construction and erection of two swinging 

 doors at the entrance to the southeast pavilion; repairing of floors, 

 including a beginning on a new composition floor with concrete base 

 in the library; and the completion of the painting of all exterior 

 woodwork of the windows, begun last year. 



One Museum office in the Smithsonian Building was painted. The 

 exterior window frames and sashes on the west end of that building 

 and on the Museum portion of the south side were repaired and 

 painted, and one copper down spout renewed. The roof of the 

 South Shed was given a coat of metallic paint, and the roof of the 

 Aircraft Building was placed in thorough order by scraping and re- 

 painting with asbestos roof cement paint. 



The power plant was not operated during the first two months 

 nor the last month of the fiscal year. During this time electric 

 current was purchased at a slight increase over the rate of the pre- 

 ceding year, under contract made by the Treasury Department. This 

 plan is advantageous in that it gives opportunity to make any needed 

 repairs to the machinery and permits the men to take their leave 

 without the Museum being required to hire others to take their 

 places. 



Heat was furnished to the buildings from October 5, 1921, to May 

 13, 1922, with a consumption of 3,322 tons of bituminous coal. In 

 addition, 21 tons of stove coal were used in the summer for the 

 domestic hot-water purposes. The quantity of coal required this 

 year was appreciably more than last, due chiefly to the fact that it 

 was a much colder winter. The cost of coal varied from $7.88 to 

 $6.22 a ton at the close of the fiscal year. Owing to the reduction 

 in the price of coal, the deficiency appropriation of $2,300 was not 

 used. To this lowering of the price of coal is due the decreased cost 

 of the production of electric current, which was 2.799 cents a 

 kilowatt-hour this year as against over 3 cents during the preceding 

 year, less even than paid during the summer months. This does 

 not mean, however, that the Museum could generate current at this 

 l^rice the entire year, for such is not the case. The total amount of 

 current generated was 389,297 kilowatt-hours. 



As a matter of economy, the hot-water heating system of the 

 Natural History Building was extended to the concrete building in the 



