FIFTIETH CONGRESS, 1887-1889. 1133 
March 12, 1888—House. 
Mr. J. L. CureMan introduced a resolution same as that submitted 
by Mr. Palmer in Senate, March 7. 
Referred to Committee on the Library: 
‘METHODS OF GOVERNMENT WORK. 
March 8, 1888—Senate. 
Mr. F. M. Cocxreti, from Select Committee on ‘‘ Methods of 
business and work” in the several Government departments, made a 
report (S. 507). 
[Extract.] 
From letter of J. W. Powell, Director of the United States Geolog- 
ical Survey, to the Secretary of the Interior, August 23, 1887: 
THE MUSEUM SYSTEM. 
The production of museum property. 
* * * Although the building up of a museum is not a function of the Geological 
Survey, yet considerable collections of rocks, minerals, ores, fossils, ete., are made 
for purposes of necessary study in the prosecution of the work of the different divi- 
sions. Such materials are ultimately transferred to the United States National 
Museum, it being provided by law that all collections made for the Government of 
the United States, when no longer needed for investigations in progress, shall be 
deposited there. 
It should be observed that the collections made by institutions or individuals 
engaged in investigating the natural resources of a country are of unequal value. 
There are certain collections, embracing rare and beautiful minerals, the ores of the 
precious metals, etc., which possess intrinsic value and are readily marketable; and 
there are certain other materials, embracing well-preserved fossils, typical rocks, 
ores, minerals, etc., for which there is a demand for educational and museum pur- 
poses. Of recent years museums, both independent and connected with educational 
and scientific institutions, have greatly multiplied; there is a constant demand for 
museum material, and a trade in such material hassprungup. Thus there is a class 
of museum material which has money value, and it is desirable that a definite 
system of preserving and accounting for such property shall be followed. But there 
is another class of material collected by the investigator, comprising rocks, soils, 
some ores and minerals, and common or ill-preserved fossils, which have no money 
value, would be worthless in a museum, and are useful only in elaborating the field 
notes of the geologist or paleontologist. It would manifestly be unwise to preserve 
such material in the National Museum, and it is accordingly destroyed. Since the 
collector is best able to judge of the value of his own collection, and will be very 
unlikely to underestimate it, provision is made for allowing each investigator to 
select from the material collected in the progress of his work that which shall be 
permanently preserved. 
The acquisition, custody, and transfer of collections. 
The employees of the Survey are provided with printed label blanks, which are 
filled out and attached to specimens as collected in the field, and a field number is 
given to each specimen upon the label and in the notebook of the collector. The 
labels used are appended. 
