June 2, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



^03 



Financial Statement. It is estimated that 

 about 40,000 communications will have to 

 be analyzed and indexed per annum. If 

 there are ou an average 3 analytical slips 

 for each entry this would make 160,000 

 slips per annum, or about 530 for each 

 working day. It is further estimated that 

 the Book Catalogue will amount to 16 vol- 

 umes per annum. 



Book Catalogue. The estimated cost of 

 the Book Catalogue (counting an edition 

 of 500 copies) is £5,450, which would be 

 covered by a subscription to 350 sets at £ 1 

 per volume. 



Slifs or Card Catalogue. If but a single 

 or primary slip is considered the additional 

 expense would be £3,076, and allowing 

 £1,000 saving on printing the book it 

 would require 130 complete subscriptions 

 at £16 to cover this expense. If the full, or 

 analytical-slip, catalogue be prepared 120,- 

 000 additional slips would have to be dealt 

 with per annum and 171 institutions would 

 have to pay £35 to cover the cost, which 

 Avould, however, slightly reduce the cost of 

 the primary slips. It would, of course, be 

 provided that portions of the catalogue 

 could be subscribed for separately. The 

 following table furnishes a clear idea of the 

 expenses and charges : 



to cover the expenditure, whereas if the Slip 

 Catalogue were published as well the ex- 

 penditure would probably be beyond the 

 sum which can reasonably be expected to 

 be raised. 



In view of this conclusion the Committee 

 raises the question as to whether a pri- 

 mary slip might not be suiScent, whether a 

 monthly bulletin in book form would serve 

 the purpose, or, should the entire Slip Cata- 

 logue be desired, whether a ' sustenation ' 

 fund could be raised to meet the difficulty. 

 The need of a guarantee fund amounting to 

 about £6,000 is also pointed out. 



The remainder of the report is taken up 

 with the schedules, which cannot be dis- 

 cussed here. Anticipating somewhat be- 

 fore coming to the Conference, it may be 

 well to mention that in November, 1898, the 

 Committee issued a memorandum on the 

 systems of classification and registration 

 proposed. It is explained that the minute 

 subdivision was adopted because if the 

 cards accumulated several years the num- 

 ber under each head might grow so large 

 as to make it a work of great labor to search 

 through them. Should the Card Catalogue 

 be abandoned the number of divisions 

 might be considerably reduced in the an- 

 nual volumes, though it would be desirable 



The Committee expressed the opinion 

 that if the Book Catalogue alone were pub- 

 lished the subscription might be expected 



to retain them in the volumes ranging/ over 

 decimal periods, if such were published. 

 System of Registration. — Each principal 



