SECRETARY'S REPORT d 



Smithsonian bureaus and their constituent units is now described in 

 a detailed account of the work of the Institution, prepared in January 

 1951, which includes a survey of the duties and responsibilities that 

 pertain to each. 



Present needs of the Smithsonian remain those that have been of 

 perennial pressure, namely, additional personnel, increased space for 

 housing, and further support for operation. All require funds if they 

 are to°be adequately met. Through increased pay, necessary and 

 greatly deserved under present-day living costs, and through changes 

 in work hours, the annual payroll of the Institution has more than 

 doubled in the past 20 years. At the same time the available man 

 hours of service per week now actually are less. In 1942 we had 

 20,592 man hours available. For the same service now in 1952 (with 

 greatly increased work load) we may command only 20,200 man hours. 

 This situation is one that needs remedy without delay, or the Institu- 

 tion will lag decidedly in its required duties and in its services to our 

 people. 



As for space, through careful planning we are now utilizing fully 

 all that is available to us. Additional buildings for the United States 

 National Museum and the National Air Museum, for the collections in 

 art, and for our research operations in natural history and other fields 

 are essential whenever funds may be provided. For a number of years 

 it has become increasingly important that a research center of consid- 

 erable size be built in the area outside of but reasonably near Metro- 

 politan Washington, to which the study collections of the National 

 Museum might be removed and where laboratory space would be avail- 

 able for our scientists. The present buildings in the Mall area would 

 then be accessible to the public to be used wholly for exhibition. The 

 research area should be arranged to provide storage for the most im- 

 portant objects in the exhibition series, should threat of war demand 

 their removal to safety. It will be a great day in the history of the 

 Smithsonian and in the history of American science when plans for 

 these buildings materialize. They have been the dream of many who 

 believe that the Smithsonian Institution is one of the great American 

 traditions that not only must be preserved but must be accorded the 

 physical facilities to meet its obligations of leadership in this modern 

 age of science. 



Through the income of its endowments the Smithsonian has a per- 

 manence in parts of its operation that it may maintain in no other 

 way. Its activities under most of its endowment funds are now far 

 too modest, since only in a few instances of special funds does it have 

 the income that it requires. We should look forward also to sub- 

 stantial growth here, to provide larger funds for research and publi- 

 cation and for the general maintenance of central administration. 



