20 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



This sum of $27,500 asked for would have been divided somewhat as 

 follows : 



Salaries $16,600 



Transportation : 



From Washington to sea-board $2, 280 



Ocean freight 5,000 



From point of debarkation to destination 1 , 750 



9, 030 



Boxes 950 



Incidentals 920 



27,500 



"No iucrease, however, over the amount appropriated for 1887-88 

 ($15,500) was granted, and it is probable that the deficiency for the 

 coming year will be at least $2,000. 



Recurring now to one of the effects of the insufficient appropriations 

 the writer repeats that there are too many and too great delays in the 

 transit of packages sent by international exchanges. These delays do 

 not occur in the office at Washington, nor in those of the agents of the 

 Institution at London and Leipzig. They are due, broadly speaking, to 

 the fact just stated, that the Listitution has not the means to pay for 

 rapid transit on land or sea, and that for what it obtains on the latter 

 it is dependent upon the courtesy of several oceau steam-ship com- 

 panies, with the natural result that the free freight is often delayed to 

 make room for that which is j^aid for. A subordinate cause, however, 

 lies in the apathy or indifference, or possible insufficient clerical force, 

 of most of the foreign exchange bureaus. 



The employes of the bureau are i)aid much lower salaries than simi- 

 lar services command in other branches of the public service, and the 

 Government pays no rent for the rooms in which they labor, in which 

 even the office furniture forms a part of the charge on the private funds 

 of this Institution. 



The convention between the United States of America, Belgium, 

 Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, and Switzerland for the interna- 

 tional exchange of official documents and scientific and literary publica- 

 tions, as well as the convention between the same countries (excepting 

 Switzerland) for " the immediate exchange of the official journals, par- 

 liamentary annals, and documents," was concluded at Brussels March 

 15, 1886, ratification advised by the Senate June 18, 1888, ratified by 

 the President July 19, 1888, ratifications exchanged January 11, 1889, 

 and proclaimed January 15, 1889, and since that date formal notifica- 

 tion has been received of the adhesion to both conventions of the Gov- 

 ernment of Uruguay. The full texts of these conventions were given 

 in the Curator's report for last year. 



The adhesion of the United States to the first convention involves no 

 new departure in the exchange service from the methods of previous 

 years ; but for the fulfillment of the obligations incurred by the second 



