Report of the President 21 



will insure to all the members of our staff and working force 

 who desire to take advantage of it an adequate pension after 

 the several terms of service. This plan, if adopted by the 

 Board at its Annual Meeting, will involve an annual contribu- 

 tion of $8,000 from the Trustees' funds and a similar amount 

 from the employes. 



BUILDING AND REPAIRS 



In connection with the plans for the Fiftieth Anniversary 

 which the Museum will celebrate in April, 1919, the Trustees 

 issued on May 6 a second and revised edition of the Growth of 

 the Building folder, which sets forth clearly and concisely the 

 building plans which are proposed for the immediate future. 

 Copies of this folder accompanied our application for a cor- 

 porate stock issue in 1912 of $550,000, and copies were sent to 

 each member of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. 



Southeast Wing and Court Building. — The first step in 

 this comprehensive building plan was the construction of the 

 Southeast Wing and Court Building of the East Facade. This 

 was recognized by the City through the appropriation of 

 $200,000 in 7911, for the construction of its foundation, which 

 became available in September, 191 1. The architects deemed 

 it wisest to let a separate contract for the excavation, and the 

 contract for the work was awarded to Di Benedetto and Egan 

 for the sum of $48,828. Ground was broken for the new wing 

 March 18, 1912, but owing to various interruptions the exca- 

 vation was not completed until November, 191 2. 



In accordance with the proposed building plans, application 

 was made to the Board of Estimate and Apportionment for an 

 appropriation of $550,000 for the construction of the super- 

 structure of the Southeast Wing and Court Building, plans for 

 which the architects have completed. As the year advanced 

 it became apparent that under the present financial condition 

 of the City, this appropriation could not be made this year. 

 The urgent need for space in which to store the large collec- 

 tions just received or on their way to the Museum from various 

 parts of the world, compelled the Trustees to postpone the 

 Southeast Wing for the present and to recommend an appropri- 

 ation of a smaller amount, namely, $150,000, which, with the 



