REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 61 



connection I beg leave to .suggest tliat were a representative of the Institution con- 

 stantly on the ground, devoting^ his attention to the requirements, not only of our 

 national lil)rary, 1)utof tlie various departmental lil)raries in the matter of exchanges, 

 the returns for the pu])Iications now so generously distributed by the I'nited States 

 would soon ))e greatly increased, if not (juite e(iualized. 



Following are the total number of parcels sent an<l received during tiie year: 



Shipments, 69 per cent: 



United States Government exchanges 52, 871 



Scientific and miscellaneous exchanges o4, 27S 



ST, 149 



Rei-eipts, 81 per cent: 



United States Gf)vernment exchanges 11, 290 



Scientific and miscellaneous exchanges 27, 357 



88, 647 



Total parcels 125, 796 



The number of correspondents in the United States has reached a total of 8,739, 

 the increase during the year having l)een 590. There are now 38,200 names of 

 libraries and individuals on the records* of the Exchange Service, representing an 

 increase of 2,495 names during the year. 



The sum appropriated by Congress foi- the sup])ort of the International Ivxchanges 

 during the fiscal year was |24,000, being the same as that granted for each of the two 

 innneiliately jireceding years. The attention of Congress, through its conunittees, 

 was called by the Secretary to the inadeciuacy of the aj>propriation on account of the 

 fteady increase in the work of the service, the improvement inaugurated therein by 

 i ubstituting ocean express for freight as a niedium of transi)ortation, and the addi- 

 f.'onal requirements that the Institution would be obliged to meet by reason of the 

 adoption by Congress on March 2, 1901, of a resolution re(juiring the Pul)lic Printer 

 to deliver to the Library of Congress, for its own use and for international exchange, 

 62 instead of 50 sets of Government publications, "except as such number shall be 

 enlarged to not exceed 100 copies by request of the Liltrarian of Congress." On this 

 account Congress, in its sundry civil act approved June 28, 1902, saw fit to grant an 

 increase of $2,000, or $2(5,000 in all, for tlie next fiscal year. 



Owing to a readjustment of the duties of the dei)uty collectors of the i)ort of New 

 York, Mr. Charles A. King sut'ceedeil Mr. John C. Williams on February 7, 1902, as 

 the officer designated by tlu' collector to enter and care for international exchanges 

 arriving from abroad. 



Despite the constant endeavors of the Institution to estaljlish more adequate 

 exchange relations with the Governments of Japan and China, all efforts in that 

 direction have thus far been futile. Only exchanges for governmental and native 

 educational institutions in Japan can be distributed under the jn-esent arrangement, 

 and all other contriljutions are therefore discouraged. In China no facilities are 

 provided for the official distril)ution of exchanges, and the Institution has no means 

 of distributing parcels in the Empire except those l)earing addresses in Shanghai, 

 which are delivered by the courtesy of the Zi-ka-we'. Observatory. 



Thus far Great Britain, Germany, and Austria-Hungary have not adopted the 

 custom prevailing elsewhere in Europe of officially providing for an international 

 exchange of publications, and the Smithsonian Institution, with the aid of funds 

 provided for the support of the Exchange Service, has been obliged to maintain 

 salaried agents in each of these countries and to Dear the expense of distribution of 

 parcels as well as for transporting the publications of those countries to the United 

 States. It is hoped, however, that the steps that have been taken from time to time 

 to adjust this inequality in the exchange system may eventually l)e successful. 



The Institution hag been especially fortunate in the selection o( its agents in those 

 countries where no provision has been made officially for conducting exchanges. 



