APPENDIX 5 

 REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES 



Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report on the 

 operations of the International Exchange Service during the fiscal 

 year ending June 30, 1928 : 



An appropriation was made by Congress for the support of the 

 system of international exchanges between the United States and 

 foreign countries under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution 

 for the fiscal year 1928 of $46,855, an increase of $595 over the appro- 

 priation for the preceding year. This increase in the amount made 

 available for the service was to enable the Institution to advance to 

 the next step in their respective grades such of the exchange em- 

 ployees as were eligible for promotion. In addition to the above, 

 $300 was allotted for printing and binding. The repayments from 

 departmental and other establishments aggregated $5,083.14, making 

 the total resources available for exchange purposes during the year, 

 $52,238.14. 



The total number of packages passing through the service was 

 542,223, a decrease from the number for the preceding year of 48,656. 

 This falling off in the number of packages handled was expected. 

 However, it does not signify that the normal work of the office has 

 slackened to any extent, as the number of packages passing through 

 the .service during the preceding fiscal year was the largest since its 

 organization in 1850 — the increase being over a hundred thousand 

 packages, while the annual increase usually averages five or ten 

 thousand. The increase in that year was due in great measure, as was 

 explained in last year's report, to the action of the Department of 

 Agriculture in turning over to the exchange office large numbers of 

 small packages for distribution abroad that it formerly transmitted 

 through the mails. That department later discontinued sending the 

 material in question to the Institution. 



The total weight of the packages was 594,121 pounds — a gain of 

 40,996 over the weight of those handled during the preceding twelve 

 months. 



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