86 



REPOET OF THE SECRETARY. 



The event above mentioned occurred in February last, when two cases 

 of exchanges destined for correspondents in New South Wales were dam- 

 aged by fire and water in the hold of the steamship 

 Castano while loading at her pier in Brooklyn, N. Y. 

 The cargo was subsequently discharged and the two 

 cases returned to the Institution, but upon exami- 

 nation their contents were found to be unfit for use, 

 and the United States Government publications 

 were sent to the Superintendent of Documents to 

 be rebound, and duplicates were substituted. The 

 contributors of the miscellaneous scientific publica- 

 tions were each notified of the facts, as is customary 

 in such instances, and were asked to supply dupli- 

 cates. In almost every instance they complied. 



The operations of the Exchange Service during 

 the year are graphically shown in the accompanying 

 statistical tables. They show a marked increase 

 over the transmissions of the preceding year. 



The number of correspondents in the United 

 States has been increased during the year by 428 and 

 those in other countries by 1,326. The total num- 

 ber of correspondents in the United States is now 

 8,149 and in all the rest of the world 27,556, or a 

 grand total of 35,705, the number of countries par- 

 ticipating being 148. 



During the year 121,060 packages of publications, 



[weighing 414,277 pounds, were received for transmis- 

 sion, being an increase over the previous year of 

 7,497 parcels and 4,286 pounds in weight. 

 The sum of $24,000 was appropriated by Congress 

 for the support of the International Exchanges, 

 being the same as appropriated for the preceding 

 year. A special effort is continually being made to 

 improve the transportation facilities, and fast mail 

 steamers are selected to carry exchanges to all parts 

 of the world when practicable. An unavoidable 

 delay is always encountered when discharging the 

 cargoes of vessels, and freight is often detained for 

 several days at the ports of debarkation, owing to 

 the confusion and inadequate terminal facilities. 

 This difficulty has been overcome to some extent 

 by forwarding small consignments of exchanges by 

 express instead of by freight, thus receiving more 

 lorompt attention. 



Mr. John C. Williams, deputy collector of the port 

 of New York, was designated on January 30, 1900, 

 to represent the Institution in the matter of clearing 

 exchanges received from abroad, vice Mr. John 

 Quackenbush, de]iuty collector, who asked to be relieved on account of 

 advancing years and increased official duties. The efficiency and prompt- 



Diagram illustrating 

 height of packing boxes, 

 resting one upon an- 

 other, used in transmit- 

 ting exrhanses from the 

 United States to foreign 

 countries during the fis- 

 cal year ending .June 30, 

 1901, as compared with 

 the height of the Wash- 

 ington Monument. 

 Height of monument, 

 555 feet; height of boxes, 

 2,775 feet. 



