92 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1918. 



which was held in the auditorium during November 12-17, 19, and 

 20. In connection with this conference there were exhibits in the 

 auditorium lobby, while in the auditorium itself there were displayed 

 numerous diagrams as well as exhibits of canned vegetables and 

 fruits. There was also a meeting of the Office of Home Economics 

 on August 25 in one of the committee meeting rooms. 



The Pathological Seminar of the Bureau of Plant Industry was 

 held in the auditorium on December 6, and the Division of Horti- 

 culture of the Bureau of Plant Industrjr had the use of the audi- 

 torium on December 14 for a lecture on some phases of horticultural 

 work in China by G. W. Groff. 



On November 15 the women employees of the Department of 

 Agriculture, presided over by Mrs. Houston, wife of the Secretary of 

 Agriculture, met in the auditorium for a conference to discuss plans 

 for participating in war activities. 



Before the auditorium was turned over to the Bureau of War Risk 

 Insurance arrangements were made by which the bureau had the 

 use of it for the purpose of instructing and organizing the field 

 parties of officers and enlisted men who were to be detailed to the 

 various Army and Navy camps in this country or overseas, to attend 

 to the details relating to the issuing of life insurance to the members 

 of the military and naval forces of the United States. It was used 

 for this work on November 7, 8, 21, 22, 27, 28, and 30, and on Decem- 

 ber 1, 3, 4, and 5. 



The Signal Corps of the United States Army was granted the use 

 of the auditorium on August 29 for an exhibition of lantern slides 

 relating to army aeronautics, and again on September 17 for a lecture 

 by Maj. Campbell of the Eoyal Flying Corps, at which both lantern 

 slides and motion pictures were features of the entertainment. 



The Post Office Department held a meeting of its employees in 

 the auditorium on October 11 for the purpose of interesting those 

 present in the Second Liberty Loan. The principal address was 

 made by Alexander M. Dockery, Third Assistant Postmaster General, 

 and he was followed by others who made short addresses. A section 

 of the United States Marine Band was present and played during 

 the meeting. ■••'<■■ 



An important use of the auditorium was by the cooperating or- 

 ganizations of the United States Food Administration, which held 

 morning and evening sessions in connection with the School of In- 

 struction on August 28, 29, and 30. The sessions were opened on the 

 morning of the 28th with a welcoming address by Dr. R. L. Wilbur, 

 followed by one on the " Work of the food survey," by Carl Vrooman, 

 Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, and one by W. A. Wheeler, of the 

 Bureau of Markets, on a similar topic. Mr. Herbert Hoover then 

 gave a description of the "World situation." The evening was cle- 



