ArPENDix Iir. 



REPORT ON THE OPERATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE 



SERVICE. 



Sir: I have the honor to suljmit tlie following report of the operations of the 

 International Exchange Service dnring tlie year ending June 30, 1902: 



The work pertaining to exchanges is confined to the southeast basement of the 

 Smithsonian buildhig. The rooms, five in number, extend along the south front for 

 a distance of 144 feet, and in the main were especially constructed nine years ago for 

 the exclusive use of the Exchange Service. Considerable space has since been added, 

 making the shipping room much larger, and various improvements have been intro- 

 duced to facilitate the handling of packages. 



The equipment of the Exchange offices is especially adapted to the peculiarities of 

 the work, and consists, in addition to the necessary desks and their usual accessories, 

 of several sorting tables for folding and arranging parcels, a large number of bins (each 

 of which is used as the receptacle of all parcels for a single country until a sufficient 

 quantity shall have at-cumulated to make a minimum shipment) , cases for reference 

 books and directories, filing cases for ledger cards (upon which are recorded accounts 

 of all exchanges with each correspondent), and cabinets for filing receipt and index 

 cards and for general correspondence. Other articles of office furniture are type- 

 writers, scales, trucks, etc. 



It is pertinent to state that most of the articles of office furniture and fixtures have 

 been purchased from Smithsanian funds, the Congressional appropriations having 

 been sufficient only for the payment of most of the salaries, a part of the transporta- 

 tion expenses, and the jiurchase of expendable supplies for packing and office use. 



Since the last report of the Exchange Service, there have been no extensive addi- 

 tions to the general ecjuipment of the Exchange offices except the construction of an 

 hydraulic elevator for raising and lowering exchanges to and from the loading plat- 

 form, and the placing of a scale with a weighing capacity of 2,500 ^lounds near the 

 elevator shaft. The expense incurred l)y both these improvements was borne by the 

 Institution. 



During the last fiscal year there has been no loss of exchanges transmitted to the 

 Institution from abroad, so far as known, and but one instance in which outgoing 

 exchanges have been lost or even damaged. The latter occurred February 1, 1902, 

 when three boxes of exchanges for correspondents in South Australia were entirely 

 destroyed by water while a lire was lieing extinguished in the hold of the steamsliip 

 Jhurunid, which was loading at P>rooklyn, N. Y. Each contributor was notified of 

 the loss, as is the custom of the Institution in sudi cases, witli the result that mo.st 

 of the |iuhlications were duplicated. 



Thi! work performed by the Exchange Service during the yi'ar and tlie extent to 

 which the influence of the service is felt throughout tlie civilized world is shown in 

 its various features by the accompanying tables. 

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