14 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1918. 



board of minerals and derivatives of the War Industries Board, the 

 curator did work of unusual value. 



The division of physical anthropology has furnished a large 

 amount of information on racial questions, particularly relating to 

 the Balkans, to the National Research Council, and the Army and 

 Navy Intelligence Bureaus. 



In the conservation of food, the curator of the division of textiles, 

 having charge of food and animal products, cooperated with the Food 

 Administration in planning graphic exhibits for use throughout the 

 country on the subject of conservation. He was also appointed ex- 

 hibits director in the District of Columbia and served as chairman of 

 the campaign committee to carry out food conservation in the Dis- 

 trict. Incidentally he has prepared and placed on exhibition an in- 

 structive exhibit of foods in the National Museum. Information was 

 also furnished by him to the United States Shipping Board on raw 

 commodities and assistance in working out a system for classifying 

 commercial data on vegetable fats and oils. 



The Museum photographer has rendered valuable assistance in con- 

 nection with the organization of laboratories in the War and Navy 

 Departments, and also in confidential matters. 



Other lines of work in which the Museum was active included 

 geological and biological problems arising in gas warfare, peat in- 

 vestigations, questions in connection with the construction of con- 

 crete ships and other similar problems, the translating of communi- 

 cations, etc. 



Since the war commenced 24 employees of the Museum have been 

 granted furloughs to enter the military service of the country. 



Bureau of War Bisk Insurance. — On October 13 the President of 

 the United States, after calling the attention of Secretary Walcott to 

 the recent law putting into operation the Bureau of War Risk Insur- 

 ance, providing for insurance, compensation, and indemnity for en- 

 listed men of the Army and Navy, stated that there was no office space 

 available in the Treasury Department, nor could adequate accommo- 

 dations be found elsewhere for the organization of this most impor- 

 tant administrative office, and suggested that the Establishment and 

 Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution would probably be 

 glad to cooperate with the Treasury and place at the service of this 

 bureau such space in the arts and industries building of the Museum 

 as they would require, by concentrating exhibits in a portion of the 

 building. 



Convinced that the work must be started immediately, in order 

 that the men might take advantage of the great privileges that the 

 Government offered, and, as it was decided that the arts and indus- 

 tries building could not be satisfactorily used for office purposes, the 

 secretary, by authority of the executive committee, placed at the 

 disposal of the Treasury Department the foyer on the ground floor 



