﻿APPENDIX 
  1 
  

   KEPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Sik: 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  submit 
  the 
  following 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  con- 
  

   dition 
  and 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  Museum 
  for 
  the 
  

   fiscal 
  year 
  ended 
  June 
  30, 
  1927 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  appropriations 
  for 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  

   Museum 
  for 
  this 
  period 
  amount 
  to 
  $009,320, 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  $10,928 
  

   above 
  the 
  appropriations 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  192G. 
  The 
  additional 
  sums 
  

   available 
  include 
  $8,918 
  under 
  the 
  appropi-iation 
  for 
  preservation 
  

   of 
  collections 
  to 
  j^rovide 
  for 
  the 
  following: 
  Two 
  assistants 
  in 
  the 
  

   library, 
  and 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  oliice 
  of 
  the 
  assistant 
  secretary 
  in 
  charge 
  

   of 
  the 
  National 
  Museum; 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  additional 
  needed 
  sup- 
  

   plies; 
  additional 
  freight 
  charges 
  on 
  specimens 
  forwarded 
  to 
  the 
  

   Museum; 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  sum 
  for 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  specimens. 
  Under 
  

   the 
  appropriation 
  for 
  furniture 
  and 
  fixtures 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  $1,930 
  

   covered 
  one 
  minor 
  promotion 
  on 
  the 
  salary 
  roll, 
  and 
  additional 
  funds 
  

   to 
  provide 
  housing 
  for 
  new 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  collections. 
  Under 
  the 
  

   amount 
  allotted 
  for 
  heating 
  and 
  lighting 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  $580 
  added 
  

   to 
  small 
  sums 
  gained 
  by 
  retrenchment 
  in 
  other 
  expenses 
  permitted 
  

   employment 
  of 
  an 
  assistant 
  telephone 
  operator. 
  

  

  The 
  increases 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  indicated 
  have 
  assisted 
  materially 
  in 
  

   the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Museum, 
  but 
  require 
  considerable 
  addition 
  before 
  

   our 
  organization 
  can 
  operate 
  on 
  a 
  proper 
  basis. 
  Existing 
  appropria- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  taken 
  up 
  so 
  largely 
  with 
  the 
  overhead 
  of 
  routine 
  expendi- 
  

   tures 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  available 
  for 
  exploration 
  and 
  fi.eld 
  work, 
  an 
  

   important 
  section 
  of 
  our 
  labors. 
  Great 
  additions 
  to 
  our 
  collections 
  

   are 
  made 
  annually 
  by 
  many 
  interested 
  friends 
  of 
  the 
  Institution, 
  but 
  

   the 
  Museum 
  should 
  have 
  adequate 
  funds 
  to 
  enable 
  it 
  to 
  develop 
  

   researches 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  along 
  logical 
  and 
  continuing 
  lines. 
  There 
  

   come 
  to 
  the 
  Museum 
  frequent 
  reports 
  of 
  valuable 
  specimens 
  that 
  may 
  

   be 
  had 
  if 
  some 
  one 
  competent 
  can 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  spot 
  to 
  obtain 
  them. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  these 
  finds 
  are 
  of 
  such 
  nature 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  success- 
  

   fully 
  handled 
  by 
  inexperienced 
  j^ersons, 
  as 
  unless 
  properly 
  collected 
  

   they 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  worth 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  transportation; 
  whereas 
  wlien 
  

   secured 
  by 
  experienced 
  hands 
  they 
  are 
  higlily 
  valuable. 
  At 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  time 
  much 
  material 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  is 
  lost, 
  though 
  with 
  comparatively 
  

   small 
  expenditure 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  preserved. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  emphasized 
  that 
  

   opportunities 
  for 
  acquiring 
  the 
  rare 
  items 
  essential 
  to 
  a 
  national 
  

   museum 
  are 
  annually 
  decreasing 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  changes 
  wrought 
  by 
  en- 
  

   croaching 
  civilization 
  on 
  natural 
  features 
  everywhere 
  on 
  the 
  earth's 
  

   36 
  

  

  