PROCEEDINGS OF THE REGENTS. 129 



At the last annual meeting of the board, your committee reported upon the 

 occupancy of the Natural History Building of the National Museum by the 

 Bureau of War Risk Insurance, showing that 138,600 square feet of its first 

 and second floors had been allotted to the purposes of the bureau, accommodat- 

 ing over 5,000 of its employees. To provide this space, the building had been 

 closed to the public in compliance with the request of the President. 



It was the understanding that the bureau would remove to its own quarters 

 at Vermont Avenue and H Street upon the completion of the building then in 

 course of construction, and return to the National Museum the space it had 

 occupied there in the same condition in which it had been turned over to the 

 bureau. The bureau vacated the museum in the latter part of March, but for 

 lack of funds was unable to fulfill its obligations as to repairs; and it was 

 not until April 22 that the Museum, out of its limited funds, could prepare the 

 building so as to be reopened. 



Your committee is pleased to report, however, that the deficiency act of No- 

 vember 4, 1919, carries an item of $5,040 which the Bureau of War Risk Insur- 

 ance is authorized to pay to the National Museum on account of the repairs 

 and other expenses incident to the bureau's occupancy. 



Respectfully submitted. 



(Signed) H. C. Lodge, 



Member of Committee. 



On motion, the report was accepted. 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



The secretary submitted his annual report for the fiscal year end- 

 ing June 30, 1919, which was accepted. 



THE SECRETARY'S SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENT. 



Needs of National: Museum. — The pressing needs of the National 

 Museum are additional space for the accommodation of its collec- 

 tions and the increase in its scientific and technical staff, the space 

 congestion especially rapidly becoming more pronounced and em- 

 barrassing. It is evident that if the museum is to keep reasonable 

 pace with the development of the country, these needs must be met. 



The Natural History Building was designed exclusively and is 

 needed entirely for the natural history collections. It has been 

 necessary, however, to make provision in this building for the 

 National Gallery of Art, one large hall in the first story being 

 devoted to that purpose. Further crowding has resulted from the 

 utilization of the west and northwest ranges and the foyer with 

 adjoining rooms in the ground story and the rotunda in the first 

 story in the assembling of the war collections. 



In the Arts and Industries Building conditions are even more 

 serious. By 1917 the building was overcrowded owing to the devel- 

 opment of the various divisions in arts and industries, particularly 

 textiles and mineral technology. The great increase in the collec- 

 tions for the Division of History is due largely to the acquisition 

 42803°— 22 9 



