REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



79 



The United States Government, including De- 

 partmental Bureaus, in exchange with — 



Number of pnblication.s- 



Sent by the 

 United States. 



Received by the 



United Stales. 



Switzerland 

 Tasmania.. . 



Turkey 



Uruguay 



Venezuela . . 

 Victoria. 

 West Indies. 

 Wiirtemberff 



561 



553 



553 



15 



5ii2 



622 



12 



53 



355 



658 



EFFICIENCY OF THE SERVICE. 



While a marked improvement appears to have taken place in the exchange serv- 

 ice duriug the past few years, still further improvements are no doubt desirable and 

 possible. The plan adopted by Dr. Kidder of following up promptly and diligently 

 all complaints, or failures of packages to reach their destinations, has produced ex- 

 cellent results. The delays due to the fact that the Smithsonian Institution is de- 

 pendent upon the generosity and public spirit of most of the ocean steam-ship lines 

 for the free transportation of its exchange boxes will be provided against, if the ap- 

 propriation asked for is granted by Congress. The delays which occur in some of 

 the foreign bureaus, due to indifference or to insufficient clerical force, are at pres- 

 ent beyond the control of the Institution. Where regularly paid agencies have been 

 established, as in London aud Leipzig, this cause of embarrassment to the service no 

 longer exists, and all packages are transmitted with promptness. 



Still another difficulty arises from an inadequate or erroneous address upon the 

 packages, rendering it necessary for the agent to hold them until the error or qniis- 

 sion can be corrected by correspondence. Increased attention to this point on the 

 part of those who have occasion to send publications through the exchange service 

 will assist materially in decreasing the number of delayed transmissions. 



An important need of the exchange bureau is a more complete index to the early 

 records, but with the present clerical force this additional work can not be effect- 

 ually undertaken. 



I take pleasure in bearing witness to the faithfulness aud efficiency of the em- 

 ployes of the bureau, and to the prompt attention to the interests of the Institution 

 of its foreign agents, Messrs. William Wesley & Son, at London, and Dr. Felix Flii- 

 gel, at Leipzig. 



The employe's of the bureau receive much lower salaries than those established for 

 similar grades of work by the classified lists of the Government Departments, and 

 it is manifestly to the interest of the service to be able to retain, by reasonable ex- 

 pectation of promotion, men who have acquired peculiar and valuable experience 

 in the exchange transactions. 



Grateful acknowledgments are due the following transportation companies and 

 firms for their continued liberality in granting free freight on exchange parcels and 

 boxes: 



Allan Steam-ship Company (A. Schumacher & Co., agents), Baltimore. 

 Anchor Steam-ship Line (Henderson & Brother, agents), New York. 

 Atlas Steam-ship Company (Pirn, Forwood & Co., agents), New York. 

 Bailey, H. B., & Co., New York. 

 Bixby, Thomas E., & Co., Boston, Mass. 

 Borland, B. R., New York. 



