﻿48 
  ANNUAL 
  I^EPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  in 
  corridors 
  liiive 
  also 
  received 
  a 
  coat 
  of 
  paint, 
  and 
  minor 
  repairs 
  

   have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  walls 
  and 
  ceilings 
  in 
  various 
  offices. 
  The 
  range 
  

   housing 
  tlie 
  study 
  collection 
  of 
  birds 
  was 
  painted 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  all 
  the 
  cases 
  were 
  painted 
  white, 
  which 
  has 
  greatly 
  improved 
  

   the 
  lighting 
  in 
  this 
  room. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Arts 
  and 
  Industries 
  Building 
  worn-out 
  downspouts 
  have 
  

   been 
  replaced 
  and 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  tin 
  roofs 
  given 
  a 
  coat 
  of 
  metallic 
  

   paint. 
  New 
  wire 
  screens 
  have 
  been 
  installed 
  and 
  ncAV 
  awnings 
  

   placed 
  over 
  the 
  skylight 
  over 
  the 
  cafe. 
  It 
  was 
  also 
  necessary 
  to 
  re- 
  

   paint 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  walls 
  in 
  several 
  exhibition 
  halls. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Building 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  window 
  sashes 
  and 
  

   doors 
  have 
  been 
  repaired 
  and 
  painted, 
  and 
  the 
  remodeling 
  of 
  the 
  

   disbursing 
  oilice, 
  begun 
  in 
  192G 
  as 
  a 
  greater 
  measure 
  of 
  precaution 
  

   during 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  funds, 
  w^as 
  completed. 
  Various 
  minor 
  re- 
  

   pairs 
  that 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  enumerated 
  were 
  necessary. 
  

  

  The 
  roof 
  and 
  the 
  exterior 
  of 
  two 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  metal 
  Aircraft 
  Build- 
  

   ing, 
  were 
  painted 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  two 
  sides 
  were 
  touched 
  up 
  where 
  

   necessary. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  heating 
  plant 
  the 
  consumption 
  of 
  coal 
  amounted 
  to 
  8,329 
  

   tons 
  of 
  bituminous 
  coal, 
  an 
  amount 
  slightly 
  less 
  than 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  

   192G. 
  All 
  told, 
  the 
  heating 
  plant 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  operation 
  nearly 
  

   18 
  years, 
  during 
  which 
  time 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  major 
  repairs 
  and 
  changes 
  

   have 
  been 
  necessary. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition. 
  The 
  boilers 
  

   were 
  inspected 
  by 
  the 
  Steamboat 
  Inspection 
  Service 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  and 
  reported 
  in 
  good 
  condition. 
  The 
  new 
  feed-water 
  con- 
  

   nections 
  requested 
  by 
  the 
  inspector 
  the 
  preceding 
  year 
  Vv'ere 
  changed 
  

   to 
  meet 
  his 
  approval. 
  The 
  elevators 
  have 
  been 
  regularly 
  inspected 
  

   by 
  the 
  District 
  of 
  Columbia 
  inspector 
  and 
  are 
  equipped 
  with 
  all 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  safeguards 
  to 
  protect 
  passengers. 
  The 
  total 
  electric 
  current 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  amounted 
  to 
  586,041 
  kilowatt 
  hours, 
  manufactured 
  at 
  a 
  cost 
  

   of 
  1.97 
  cents 
  per 
  kilowatt 
  hour, 
  including 
  interest 
  on 
  the 
  plant, 
  de- 
  

   preciation, 
  labor, 
  and 
  material. 
  The 
  present 
  production 
  is 
  near 
  

   the 
  maximum 
  for 
  the 
  plant 
  as 
  at 
  present 
  construc^d. 
  The 
  ice 
  plant 
  

   manufactured 
  368 
  tons 
  of 
  ice 
  at 
  a 
  cost 
  of 
  $2.49, 
  about 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  

   less 
  than 
  the 
  contract 
  price 
  on 
  the 
  general 
  supply 
  schedule, 
  the 
  sav- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  this 
  item 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  being 
  approximately 
  $1,000. 
  

  

  Labor 
  turnover 
  in 
  connection 
  v/ith 
  the 
  heating, 
  lighting, 
  and 
  power 
  

   plant 
  has 
  been 
  greater 
  than 
  ever 
  before, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  low 
  scale 
  

   of 
  salaries 
  for 
  firemen 
  and 
  under 
  employees, 
  a 
  factor 
  that 
  greatly 
  

   handicaps 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  13 
  exhibition 
  cases 
  and 
  bases, 
  253 
  pieces 
  of 
  storage, 
  

   laboratory 
  and 
  office 
  furnituie, 
  and 
  1,572 
  drawers 
  of 
  various 
  kinds 
  

   were 
  added. 
  These 
  were 
  manufactured 
  mainly 
  in 
  the 
  shops. 
  

  

  