REPOKT OF THE SEOEETARY. 3 



reported that the committee had examined the plaii.s prepared under 

 th(^ direction of the Secretary, as prov' ided in the sundry civil act of 

 .huie 28, 1902, and reconunended that if an appropriation for the 

 entire new building- could not be made now the committee would 

 respectfully urge upon Congress an appropriation of $1,500,000 to 

 construct a portion of the completed plan. The connnittee further 

 urged that Congress be advised of the fact that collections of the 

 greatest value are in immediate danger of destruction, and are now 

 actually undergoing degeneration in the present unsuitable, unsafe, 

 temporary quarters, and that the erection of a new building- is abso- 

 lutely necessary, for the preservation of the national collections. The 

 members of the committee, in addition to the chairman, were Senators 

 Cidlom and Cockrell and Representatives Hitt, Adams, and Dinsmore. 

 The report of the committee was adopted and they were instructed to 

 bring- tlie matter to a conclusion by securing- an appropriation. 



The Secretary announced to the Board the death, on September 23, 

 1902, of Maj. J. W. Powell, of the Bureau of Ethnology, and the 

 appointment on October 11 of Mr. William H, Holmes, and made a 

 statement as to the status of the Bureau and its future policy. 



On motion of Senator Henderson, the Secretarj^ was — 



"authorized to deposit in the Treasury of the United States, under 

 the terms of section 5591 of the Revised Statutes, as an addition to 

 the pci-manent fund of the Institution, the sum of $25,000 from the 

 unexpended balance. " 



By resolution of the Board a special committee of five, consisting- 

 of the Chancellor, Senators Cullom and Piatt, and Representatives 

 Adams and Dinsmore, was appointed to consider the question of 

 speciiicalW defining- the powers of the executive connnittee, to report 

 at a special meeting- called for March 12, 1903. 



The special meeting was held on March 12, when the Chancellor 

 reported informally upon the duties heretofore discharged by the 

 executive committee. No definite conclusion had been reached as to 

 the question of defining- the powers of that committee, l)ut it was 

 thought desirable that it should hold r(>g-ular meeting-s and that the 

 Board of Regents should hold two stated meetings in addition to the 

 annual meeting prescri))ed ])y law. It was therefore resolved — 



"•That, in addition to the prescribed meeting held on the fourth 

 Wednesday in January, regular meetings of the Board shall ])e held 

 on the Tuesday after the first Monday in Decemlxn- and on the <5tliday 

 of ]\Iarch, luiless that date falls on Sunday, when the following Mon- 

 day shall be substituted." 



The special committee was continued, with a re([uest to further 

 pursue the examination of the wlioh^ suljject and to report at the 

 December meeting. 



Senator Piatt read a clause from the sundry cixil act a[)proved March 



