98 



INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS OF OCEANOGRAPHY 



bers, and in April, 1929, the cornerstone of the 

 building was laid by Prince Louis, with appro- 

 priate ceremony, in the presence of the delegates 

 to the First Supplementary International Hydro- 

 graphic Conference then in session. 



On the 14th of January, 1931, the International 

 Hydrographic Bureau was installed, with appro- 

 priate ceremony, in the handsome and convenient 

 building on the Quai de Plaisance of the harbour 

 of Monaco, by H. S. H. Prince Louis II. of 

 Monaco, accompanied by the Hereditary Prin- 

 cess, the Minister of State, and most of the 

 officials, both native and foreign, in the Prin- 

 cipality. 



The Bureau is supported by yearly contribu- 

 tions from the States members, based on each 

 State's total combined naval and mercantile 

 tonnage. Each State member has one vote on 

 technical and administrative questions, but for 

 the election of the directors and secretary-general 

 the number of votes allotted to each State is 

 based on the same tonnage figure as that which 

 determines its contribution. 



The Bureau having been established after the 

 Treaty of Versailles (the majority of the mem- 

 bers being members of the League of Nations), 

 it was necessary, as well as desirable, for the 

 Bureau to be affiliated with the League, but it is 

 completely and entirely autonomous. 



Under the statutes of the Bureau its work is 

 conducted by a Directing Committee, chosen by 

 the vote of the members, consisting of three 

 Directors elected for a period of five years, and 

 by a Secretary-General also elected for a term of 

 five years assisted by a staff of technical and 

 administrative assistants. The first Directing 

 Committee and Secretary-General were: 

 Directing Committee: President, Admiral Sir 

 John F. Parry, K. C. B. (Great Britain) ; Mem- 

 bers, Rear-Admiral J. M. Phaff, (Netherlands) 

 and Captain S. H. Miillcr (Norway). 

 Secretary-General: Commander G. B. Spicer- 

 Simson, D. S. O. 



Had it not been for the unfortunate death of 

 Monsieur Renaud, who was a renowned French 

 hydrographer and who originated the idea of the 

 creation of the Bureau, he would undoubtedly 

 have been selected as a member of the first 

 Directing Committee. The President is the 

 director who receives the highest number of votes. 

 A Hydrographic Conference is held at Monaco 

 every fi^'e years at which all questions connected 



with hydrography are discussed and the report of 

 the work carried out by the Bureau since the 

 previous conference is considered as also is the 

 financial statement. At the end of the conference 

 voting takes place for electing the three Directors 

 and the Secretary-General for the next five years. 



Location: Monte Carlo, Principality of Monaco. 



Organization to which attached: International, 19 

 adhering countries. 



Purposes and scope of activities: The statutes pre- 

 scribe that the principal work to be undertaken 

 by the Bureau is the following: 



The study of documents published by hydrographic 



offices; 

 The drawing up and publication of various lists, such as 



of geographical positions, abbreviations and conven- 

 tional signs used on charts, etc.; 

 The study of methods of hydrographic surveying; 

 The study of methods employed for the production of the 



results of surveys for publication; 

 The study of the construction and use of hydrographic 



instruments and appliances; 

 The study of the methods of recruiting and training 



personnel for surveying vessels and hydrographic 



offices; 

 The making of researches on any other subjects which 



affect hydrography; 

 Reports on the results of such studies and research, 



which appear to be of general interest, are published 



in French and English. 



In general it may be stated that the Interna- 

 tional Hydrographic Bureau not only links the 

 various hydrographic offices of the different 

 States, but it is a sort of "clearing house" for all 

 hydrographic information. 



The Bureau satisfies, as far as possible, all 

 requests for information or advice in connection 

 with hydrography addressed to it by a member, 

 and gives considered opinions on all questions 

 dealing with its work which are referred to it by 

 conferences or by scientific institutions. 



Among the most interesting phases of the work 

 recently undertaken by the Bureau is the collation 

 and plotting of all deep sea soundings obtained. 

 This is being done in order to keep the General 

 Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans up-to-date. 



The Bathymetric Chart was originally drawn 

 up, at the suggestion of the Seventh International 

 Geographical Congress held at Berlm (Germany) 

 in 1899, by H. S. H. the Prince of Monaco. The 

 first edition of the chart was communicated to the 

 Eighth Congress at New York on September 13, 

 1904. Before drawing it up, however. Prince 

 Albert I. had taken the advice of a committee 



