APPENDIX 5 

 REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the report on the operations of the 

 International Exchange Service for the fiscal year ended June 30, 

 1924. 



Congress appropriated $43,000 for the support of the service dur- 

 ing the year, $2,000 less than the previous appropriation. On the 

 basis of the previous year's business this reduced amount would have 

 been sufficient for the needs of the service. Toward the middle of 

 the fiscal year, however, the exchanges had increased to such an 

 extent that it was necessary to send shipments to foreign countries 

 at less frequent intervals, in order to reduce the expense incurred 

 for freight, so as to avoid a deficit. Near the close of the year it was 

 found possible to return to the Institution's practice of making ship- 

 ments to all foreign countries at intervals not exceeding a month. 

 In addition to the above amount. Congress appropriated for the ex- 

 changes $200 for printing and binding. The repayments from de- 

 partmental and various other establishments aggregated $5,202.24, 

 making the total resources available for carrying on the system of 

 exchanges during the year $48,402.24. 



The total number of packages passing through the service during 

 the year was 460,658, an increase over the number for the preceding 

 year of 82,832. The weight of these packages was 567,107 pounds, 

 an increase of 74,291. Much of this increase was due to the receipt 

 of a large number of publications from establishments in the United 

 States for transmission to the universiti-es and colleges in Japan that 

 lost their libraries during the recent earthquake. 



The publications sent and received by the Exchange Service are 

 classified under three heads: Parliamentary documents, depart- 

 mental documents, and miscellaneous scientific and literary publica- 

 tions. The term "parliamentary documents," as here used, refers 

 to publications set aside by act of Congress for exchange with 

 foreign governments, and includes not only documents printed by 

 order of either House of Congress, but also copies of each publication 

 issued by any department, bureau, commission, or officer of the Gov- 

 ernment. Governments to wdiich this class of publications are for- 

 warded send to this country in exchange copies of their own official 



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