324 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LII. No. 1345 



say that at present the main objection is the 

 method of appointing the scientific staff and 

 of apportioning the appropriations among the 

 different sections. The director of the sta- 

 tion, who, according to the now existing 

 statute, must be a zoologist, has sole control 

 of the recommendation for the appointment 

 and discharge of the entire scientific staff, 

 assistants, and other attendants, and also 

 makes recommendations for the financing of 

 the station. 



The station is now — and has been since the 

 approval of the decree by the commission, 

 June, 1918 — under the direct supervision of 

 the Ministry of Education. This is a tempo- 

 rary arrangement and will continue until 

 June, 1921. 



A committee of eleven has lately been ap- 

 pointed to formulate a plan for the future or- 

 ganization of the station. Of these, three 

 never took part, and two others were called 

 away on urgent business after the beginning 

 of the deliberations. Of the sis who partici- 

 pated in the discussion, five — Professor V. Vol- 

 terra (Rome), Professor P. Del Pezzo (Naples), 

 Professor D. Carazzi (Florence), Professor F. 

 Bottazzi (Naples), and Comm. Martini (of 

 the Ministry of Education) — made a majority 

 report. May, 1920, with one — Professor F. S. 

 Monticelli — dissenting. 



The committee recommend that the zoolog- 

 ical station be an autonomous institution open 

 to Italian and foreign investigators alike. 

 They also recommend that the state provide an 

 annual subsidiary for the maintenance of the 

 station to be divided, as recommended by the 

 commission, between the Ministry of Educa- 

 tion, the Committee on Oceanography, and the 

 Ministry of Agriculture, all of which are in- 

 terested in the future welfare of the station. 

 ^ The station would thus be of the same char- 

 acter as other autonomous institutions, having 

 an organization which would presuppose its 

 administrative and scientific autonomy; and 

 at the same time the Italian government would 

 support it with annual appropriations. Each 

 contributing organization of the state would 

 reserve a given number of tables for its in- 

 vestigators. 



The committee also recommend that the rules 

 and regulations now in force be retained, and 

 changes be made only where necessary to carry 

 out the plans as set forth in the report. The 

 most important change is that in the statute 

 relating to the appointment of the director of 

 the station and the scientific personnel. The 

 committee recommend modifications that will 

 guarantee the stability and welfare of all the 

 sections of the station. The scientific per- 

 sonnel is to be placed on the same footing as 

 that of civil employees of the state. 



The essential points of the statute recom- 

 mended by the committee can be briefly stated : 



1. The station is to be — as approved by the 

 decree of May 26, 1918 — an autonomous insti- 

 tution for the investigation of marine biology; 

 open alike, and on the same basis, to Italians 

 and foreigners. 



2. The station is to have the full control and 

 the use of all funds and property belonging to 

 it as proclaimed by the municipality of Naples, 

 July 30, 1917. 



3. The sources of income are to be: 



(a) Appropriations of the Ministry of Edu- 

 cation. 



, (&) Appropriations of the Committee on 

 Oceanography. 



(c) Appropriations of the Ministry of Agri- 

 culture. 



(d) Appropriations of the Municipality of 

 Naples. 



(e) Proceeds of public contributions and 

 from Italian and foreign institutions. 



(/) Proceeds from the fees of admission to 

 the public aquarium. 



(g) Proceeds from tables secured by Ital- 

 ians and foreigners for study. 



(/i) All other sources. 



4. The station will administer its own 

 funds. 



5. The station is to have a council of ad- 

 ministration composed thus: 



(a) Three members appointed by the mu- 

 nicipality of Naples. The mayor is president 

 ex ofiicio. 



(h) Three members appointed by the Min- 

 istry of Education. 



