KEPOKT OF THE SECRE'l'AUy. 



79 



Number of publications — 



The Uuiteil Stales Govcnuueiit, iueludiug Dc- 

 partmeut.ll Bureaus, iu exchange with — 



Switzerlanil 

 Tasmania.. 



Turkey 



Uruguay .. . 

 Venezuela . 

 Victoria . .. 

 West Indies 

 Wiirtembcn 



KFFICIENCY OF THE SERVICE. 



While a marked improvement appears to have taken x)lace in the exchange serv- 

 ice duriug the jiast few years, still further improvements are no doubt desirjible aud 

 possible. The plan adopted by Dr. Kidder of following up promptly aud diligently 

 all complaints, or failures of packages to reach their destinations, has produced ex- 

 cellent results. The delays due to the fact that the Smithsonian Institution is de- 

 pendent upon the geuerosity and public spirit of most of the ocean steam-ship Hues 

 for the free transportation of its exchange boxes will be provided against, if the ap- 

 propiiatiou asked for is granted by Congress. The delays which occur in some of 

 the foreign bureaus, due to indifference or to iusufrtcieut clerical force, are at pres- 

 ent beyond the control of the Institution. Where reguUirly paid agencies have been 

 established, as in Loudou and Leipzig, this cause of embarrassment to the service no 

 longer exists, aud all packages are transmitted with in'omptness. 



Still another difficulty arises from an inadequate or erroneous address upon the 

 packages, rendering it necessary for the agent to hold them until the error or omis- 

 sion can be corrected by correspondence. Increased attention to this point on the 

 part of those who have occasion to send xiublications through the exchange service 

 will assist materially iu decreasing the number of delayed transmissions. 



An important need of the exchange bureau is a more complete index to the early 

 records, but with the present clerical force this additional work can not be effect- 

 ually undertaken. 



I take pleasure iu bearing witness to the faithfulness aud efliciency of the em- 

 ployes of the bureau, aud to the i)rompt attention to the interests of the Institution 

 of its foreign agents, Messrs. William Wesley »& Son, at London, and Dr. Felix Flii- 

 gcl, at Leipzig. 



The employes of the bureau receive uuich lower salaries than those established for 

 similar grades of work by the classified lists of the Government Departments, and 

 it is manifestly to the interest of the service to be able to retain, by reasonable ex- 

 pectation of promotion, men who have acquired peculiar and valuable experience 

 in the exchange transactions. 



Grateful acknowledgments are due tiic following tratisportaJ ion companies and 

 firms for their continued liberality in granting free freight on i'xc:hange parcels and 

 boxes: 



Allan Steam-ship Company (A. Schumacher &. Co., agents), IJaltimorc. 

 Anchor Steam-ship Line (Henderson & Brother, agents). New York. 

 Atlas Steam-ship Company (Pim, Forwood & Co., agents), New York. 

 Bailey, II. B., & Co., New York. 

 Bixby, Tiiomas E., & Co., Boston, Mass. 

 Borland, B. K., New York, 



