36 Report of the President 



WELFARE OF EMPLOYEES 



The comprehensive Pension Plan which was put in opera- 

 tion four years ago is working successfully. This plan is based 

 on a 3% contribution by the employees and a 3% contribution 

 by the Trustees, and its administration is vested in a Pension 

 Board composed of four Trustees and three employees. There 

 are now 241 employees who participate in this fund, and one 

 employee is receiving a pension. The endowment is $60,000. 



The interests of the employees have been still further 

 guarded by the requirement of a physical examination of em- 

 ployees before they are accepted by the Pension Board. The 

 cost of this physical examination is borne by the Museum, 



The Fourth Annual Report of the Pension Board will be 

 found on pages 215 to 235 inclusive. 



In view of the increased demands upon the various officers 

 and employees of the Museum and the increased cost of living, 

 the Trustees voted a special grant to all the officers and em- 

 ployees, equivalent to 10% of the salaries paid during the year 

 1916. This included a total of 312 employees, and the total 

 sum distributed was $32,316.15, of which $23,500 was raised 

 by subscriptions of Trustees and $8,816.15 was borne by the 

 Jesup Fund. 



HOSPITALITY TO SOCIETIES 



As for many years past, the Museum has extended hospital- 

 ity to educational and scientific societies, providing rooms for 

 meetings and lectures. The regular meetings of the New 

 York Academy of Sciences were held here, also the annual 

 meeting of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation 

 Society ; delegates to the second Pan-American Scientific Con- 

 gress were tendered a reception on January 13; the Junior 

 Auxiliary of the New York Zoological Society held a meeting 

 on March 30, at which Mr. Raymond L. Ditmars presented a 

 lecture and motion pictures; members of the Science Depart- 

 ment of the National Education Association were given a 

 luncheon on Friday afternoon, July 7, and were presented 

 with copies of the "Teachers' Handbook to the Exhibitions and 



