28 American Fisheries Society 



might call the outside membership price of $2 a year. At 

 the same time we place those publications where they will 

 be of great value to us in the way of advertisement, and 

 also of value to the persons of all types who are interested 

 in the study of fishery matters and in the reading of the 

 papers which are presented before the organization. 



It will be noticed, but it ought to be called definitely to 

 your attention, that the offer to sell volumes at $1 each to 

 a slight extent contradicts the ruling of the Society that the 

 anniversary volume, which you remember was such a splen- 

 did thing, be not sold for less than $2; but if libraries will 

 agree to take 5 copies, it seemed worth while to bait the 

 hook a little for them, by giving them that fine anniversary 

 volume at the regular price. 



From the report of the Secretary we have, it appears, 

 over 100 copies of 5 or 6 years of our later volumes, and 

 30 to 70 copies of a few others. They are now costing the 

 Society storage, and they might be doing good missionary 

 work. I happen to know from correspondence with libraries 

 and from conversation with librarians, that as a rule the 

 larger libraries of the country are ready to enter into sub- 

 scription engagements with societies to take a series of pub- 

 lications like yours, which of course is the great national 

 society and the only society representing this interest in the 

 country. 



The Executive Committee would further recommend that 

 publications be not sent to members who are in arrears of 

 dues, but that a communication be sent to such, indicating 

 the willingness of the officers to supply the publication as 

 soon as the arrearage is made good. I believe some mem- 

 bers of the Society would be astonished to see to what extent 

 we have sent our publications to those who have not reason- 

 ably— I believe I may say — considered their obligations. 

 Some persons who have paid $2 or $4 have received publi- 

 cations costing the Society $10 or $12; and it is perhaps 

 doubtful whether the Society ever gets the arrearage from 



