6 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1908. 



One of the important questions that comes up for consideration 

 annually is that of submitting estimates to the Congress for the sup- 

 port of the several branches placed by the Congress under the adminis- 

 trative charges of the Smithsonian Institution. As the executive offi- 

 cer of the Institution it is my duty to give careful consideration to the 

 administration of the federal branches under its charge and to ascer- 

 tain as far as possible the needs of each branch, and to see that the 

 conclusions are clearly formulated in the estimates and later pre- 

 sented orally or in printing as the committees in the Congress may 

 desire. 



In considering estimates there is necessarily a decided difference in 

 the point of view of the administrative officers in charge of the sev- 

 eral branches of the Institution and the members of the congres- 

 sional appropriation committees. The former see clearly what in 

 their judgment is needed to make the particular work or department 

 in their charge effective and a credit to the American people who own 

 and sustain it. The members of the committee have a general idea 

 of the character of the work being done and its relative importance 

 .in comparison with similar work elsewhere, and time is taken for 

 hearings and consideration of individual objects. In deciding on the 

 amount to be appropriated the committee has also in mind the present 

 and prospective condition of the Treasury, the total amount that in 

 their judgment should be appropriated, and how much can be safely 

 assigned to each object to be appropriated for in the act under con- 

 sideration. 



For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, the estimates submitted 

 exceeded the appropriations by $285,525. Before the time of the 

 hearing by the subcommittee on appropriations it became evident 

 that the new National Museum building would not be completed in 

 time to make use of the estimated $200,000 for furniture and fixtures, 

 so at the hearing the committee was requested to approve of $50,000, 

 which was done. The items of $40,000 for the readjustment of the 

 boundaries of the National Zoological Park and $60,000 for altera- 

 tions in the Smithsonian building to provide for the exhibition of 

 the art collections of the Government were omitted by the committee 

 along with some minor increases in the estimates. 



In making up the estimates for the fiscal year 1910 the Secretary 

 had to consider, among other matters, the following: 



1. The estimates submitted by the officers in charge of the several 

 branches. 



2. The reasons submitted for asking an increase in appropriations. 



3. The rejection by the Congress of most of the increased estimates 

 for the fiscal year 1909. 



4. His duty as an administrative officer to submit to the Congress 

 such estimates as in his judgment would be needed to properly pro- 



