REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29 



supports its own bureau, in the majority of cases by means of direct 

 governmental grants. The London central bureau, which bears all 

 of the expense of editing and publisliing the data prepared by the 

 regional bureaus, dej^ends for its support entirely on funds received 

 from the subscribers to the work. In the beginning of the enter- 

 prise the subscription price was fixed at $85 per year for a full sot 

 of 17 volumes, and it has been necessary to maintain this })rice, as 

 there are a limited number of libraries and scientific bodies whoso 

 subscription to the work practically assures the sum necessaiy for 

 pubUcation. The lack of any surplus, however, renders it impos- 

 sible to reduce the price of the work in order to meet the demands of 

 a large number of scientific investigators, who are practically excluded 

 as personal subscribers to tliis valuable source of information, owing 

 to the present prices. 



Had the central bureau a permanent and independent income, 

 derived from an endowment or otherwise, it would be possible to 

 adopt the course wliich would under similar circumstances be fol- 

 lowed by a commercial publislung house having a liberal working 

 capital; that is, to reduce the price of the publication and depend on 

 the certainty of increased sales to pay the relatively small expenses 

 of printmg a larger edition of the work. An endowment of $100,000 

 properly invested would, it is beheved, make it possible to carry out 

 tliis plan, and, for the end to be accomplished, it would be difficult to 

 find a better use for this comparatively small sum. A more detailed 

 statement of the condition of this interesting example of wliat may 

 be accomplished through international cooperation will be found in 

 the report of the bureau in the appendix. 



Res])ectfully submitted. 



Charles D. Walcott, Secretary. 



