4^6 



NA TURE 



[April i, 1922 



received the degree of doctor of philosophy by 

 examination from 46 institutions. 



An attempt has also been made to calculate the 

 proportion of the population which American graduates 

 form. The number of first degrees awarded in 1870- 

 igi8 is estimated as 1,058,527, and it is calculated that 

 908,469 of these graduates were alive in 1918. The 

 total population in 1918 is estimated at 105,253,300, 

 90 there was one college graduate to every 116 persons 

 in the country. Taking adults of 23 years and over, 

 the figures become i in 61. 



The extent of the work undertaken in the colleges 

 and universities is indicated to some extent by the 

 size of their libraries. In 1890, the average number 

 of volumes in a college library was less than 7000. 

 In 191 8, this figure had grown to 42,000, while two 

 universities had libraries of more than a million 

 volumes each. The total number of volumes in all 

 the libraries in 191 8 was considerably more than 

 twenty-three millions. 



The financial position of institutions for higher 

 education in the United States is of interest if only 

 for the sake of comparison with the funds at the 

 disposition of similar institutions in Great Britain. 

 Some of the more outstanding figures have been 

 converted into sterling at the rate of five dollars to 

 the pound, and the results are given in round numbers. 

 Endowments in 1890 amounted to some fifteen million 

 pounds ; in 191 8, the total was more than ninety- 

 six millions, a similar increase to that shown by the 

 growth in the libraries. During this period, however, 

 the number of students had increased and a better 

 measure of the increase of productive funds is given 

 by comparing the value of such per student enrolled. 

 In 1890, the value was 98/. per head and in 1918 it 

 was just over 256/., an increase of 162 per cent. Thus 

 it is doubtful if the increase per head in endowment 

 has really kept pace with the increasing cost of higher 

 education. This statement is borne out by the fact 

 that the percentage of total income coining from 

 endowment funds has steadily decreased during the 

 past 28 years. 



The gifts and benefactions reported for the year 

 191 7-18 amounted to just over 5,500,000/. ; of this 

 amount about 1,100,000/. was for increasing plant, 

 r, 000,000/. for current- expenses, and 3,400,000/. for 

 endowments. Thirty-six institutions received gifts of 

 more than 20,000/., and seven of these had benefactions 

 exceeding 200,000/. Among these latter were Yale 

 University and the University of Chicago, which received 

 sums amounting to about 570,000/. and 420,000/. respec- 

 tively. According to reports for the years 1918-20 

 received from 317 higher institutions, 27,600,000/. 

 was received in benefactions, of which 8,900,000/. was 

 for current expenses, 4,800,000/. for increase of 

 equipment and plant, and 13,900,000/. for endow- 

 ments. During this period, Harvard University 

 received more than 2,000,000/., Massachusetts Insti- 

 tute of Technology 1,200,000/., and the University 

 of Chicago nearly 1,000,000/., to quote a few of the 



more noteworthy increases in endowment. These 

 figures, of course, are exclusive of any grants received 

 from Federal, State, or municipal resources. 



The value of the property owned by colleges 

 and universities during the period 1890-1918 was 

 ascertained and figures are given for the average 

 value per student. In 1890, this was 108/., while 

 in 1918 it had increased to 279/. The property 

 value per student in 19 18 was therefore more than 

 two and a half times what it was in 1890, though 

 the fact that the war had reduced the number of 

 students slightly makes the figure for 19 18 somewhat 

 high. 



The total receipts in 1918 of the universities, 

 colleges, and professional schools in the United States 

 were nearly 30,700,000/., and of this sum about 

 27,400,000/. was reckoned as working income. The 

 corresponding figures for 1892 were about 5,600,000/., 

 and 4,200,000/. The average working income per 

 student, however, increased from 14/. in 1892 to 73/. 

 in 191 8 ; in other words, in 191 8 it cost more than 

 five times as much per year to provide education for 

 a student as it did in 1892. Although slightly 

 accentuated by the war, the cost of higher education 

 has been increasing at a steady rate during the 

 whole of this period of 26 years. 



The percentages of the total income obtained from 

 the various sources. Federal, State, municipal, students' 

 fees, endowments, and benefactions, also changed 

 considerably between 1892 and 1918. Students' fees 

 have contributed a fairly steady 25 per cent. ; the 

 proportion from endowments has decreased steadily 

 from 18-5 per cent, in 1892 to 14-6 per cent, in 1918, 

 while benefactions have, on the whole, also provided 

 a decreasing percentage. Grants from Federal 

 funds increased in general, but the percentage of the 

 total income derived from this source decreased 

 steadily. The State and local authorities have 

 provided a very variable proportion of the income ; 

 in 1896, it was only io-6 per cent., but by 1918 it had 

 risen to 27-2 per cent. Supplementary data for the 

 year 1919-20 are given in Bulletin, 1920, No. 48, 

 which, of course, refers solely to State institutions. 

 The total working income of the 92 universities and 

 colleges which furnished returns for that year was 

 18,200,000/., of which some 1,800,000 was derived 

 from students' fees, and 1,900,000 from private 

 benefactions. Expressed as percentages, the varying 

 proportions of the total income were contributed as 

 follows : students' fees 9-6 per cent., private bene- 

 factions 103 per cent., Federal grants 90 per cent.. 

 State grants 6o-6 per cent., and 10-5 per cent, was 

 from miscellaneous sources. The proportion provided 

 by the State is naturally large in State institutions, 

 but the general trend of the figures supports the 

 conclusion reached in Bulletin, 1920, No. 34, that 

 higher education in the United States is coming to 

 depend more and more upon the State or municipahty 

 and less on the income derived from productive funds, 

 private benefactions, and Federal grants. 



Marine Borers in San Francisco Bay.^ 



A' 



N interesting progress report on the San Francisco 

 Bay marine piling survey has recently been 

 issued by a committee which affords an excellent 

 example of co-operation between science and industry. 

 The Committee was composed of representatives of 



* Report on the San Francisco Bay Marine Piling .Survey, prepared under 

 the super\ision of the San Francisco Bay Marine Piling Co'omiliee of the 

 American Wood-preservers' Association. 1921. Pp. 104 + 36 plates. 



NO. 2735, VOL. 109] 



the American Wood-preservers' Association, the 

 Forest Service, and the Department of Zoology of the 

 University of California, and the necessary funds 

 were contributed by interested parties in the district. 

 Early in 1914 the activity of marine borers was 

 noticed in the dykes of the Mare Island Navy Yard in 

 San Pablo Bay — the northern arm of San Francisco 

 Bay. The shores of San Pablo Bay have attracted 



