SEPTEMBER 22, 1899. ] 
are used by it in issuing its publications 
and in assisting its committees in defraying 
a part of the expenses of their special in- 
vestigations. In addition to this income a 
number of societies and bureaus have 
agreed to make extra annual contributions, 
the Prussian War Department heading the 
list with $125, and 21 others giving smaller 
sums, so that for the year 1898 the amount 
derived from these sources was about $400. 
Although official information is not at hand, 
it is safe to say that the total income of the 
International Association for the year 1898 
did not exceed $2,000, which is certainly a 
small sum with which to issue its publica- 
tions and carry on the work of 21 commit- 
tees. 
The International Association has issued 
yearly, since 1895, a list of members, and 
also abstracts of the proceedings of the 
Congresses of 1895 and 1897. These, to- 
‘gether with a few circulars of information, 
constitute all the publications that it has 
been able to furnish free to its members. 
The detailed proceedings of the Congresses 
have been printed in the journal Bawma- 
terialienkunde published in the French and 
German languages, at Stuttgart, which 
has been furnished to members at $2.50 
per year, the regular subscription price 
being $3.50. It will be seen, therefore, 
that an American member who desires to 
be fully informed regarding the work of 
the Association must necessarily subscribe 
to this Journal, and by so doing his dues 
become really $5 per year. It should fur- 
ther be stated that arrangements will prob- 
ably be made so that the official announce- 
ments of the International Council and the 
proceedings of future Congresses will be 
printed in this Journal in the English lan- 
guage, as well as in German and French. 
The American Section, as already stated, 
had no income during 1898, and the report 
of our Treasurer shows that during the 
present year the amount available for ex- 
SCIENCE. 
399 
penses has been about $120. On February 
18, a pamphlet of twenty-six pages was 
issued containing a list of officers of the In- 
ternational Association and its committees 
and a list of the American members, to- 
gether with the statutes, by-laws and some 
historical information. In April a bulletin 
was issued giving abstracts of the proceed- 
ings of the first annual meeting and of the 
meetings of the executive committee, and in 
July a second bulletin was issued contain- 
ing the preliminary programme for this 
meeting. It is hoped that the condition of 
our treasury may permit these bulletins to 
be continued, and that one may be issued 
containing the proceedings of this meeting. 
The technical questions proposed for dis- 
cussion at the Paris Congress of 1900 are 
nineteen in number. The organization of 
the international committees which are to 
consider these topics is now complete, and 
preliminary reports from the American 
members of several of them are to be pre- 
sented and discussed at this meeting. Prob- 
ably the most important of these subjects is 
that of standard international specifications 
for testing and inspecting iron and steel; 
this committee originally consisted of about 
forty members, of which five were assigned 
to this country, but under authority to in- 
crease its numbers the American sub-com- 
mittee has been increased to twenty-one, 
has held several meetings, collected specifi- 
cations and will present a preliminary re- 
port of much interest. It is also expected 
that the American members of five other 
international committees on iron and steel 
will report progress in their organization 
and work. As the national sub-committees 
are now in full correspondence with the in- 
ternational chairmen, it is expected that 
the final reports which are to be presented 
for discussion at the Paris Congress will 
prove of great interest and value. 
Of the nineteen problems to be considered 
by the nineteen international committees, 
