Since the organization of the Pension Plan, it has been the 

 custom for the Director of the Museum to certify to the Pen- 

 sion Board as permanent the names of those employees whose 

 services were to be retained. More recently, as it was found 

 best to adopt a system of physical examination, a change of 

 procedure in methods of certification was necessitated, inas- 

 much as occasionally certifications of permanent employment 

 had to be cancelled, in the cases of employees who were found 

 to be physically unsuited, from an insurance standpoint, to 

 participate in the Pension Plan. Remedial changes have there- 

 fore been effected, so that now the Director indicates his will- 

 ingness to certify temporary employees as permanent in their 

 relation to the institution, providing they first pass the physical 

 examination required by the Board. At the satisfactory com- 

 pletion of this physical examination, the employee is certified 

 as permanent. This simplification obviates the necessity of 

 cancelling any permanency certification once given. 



The following is the status of the membership of the Fund 

 as constituted December 31, 1917: 



Number of Subscribers, January 1, 1917 241 



New Subscribers during the year 1917 34 



Reinstatements made during the year 1917 2 



277 



Resignations and Dismissals 15 



Retirements 2 



Deaths 4 21 



Number of Subscribers, December 31, 1917 256 



During the year we have had the misfortune to lose by death 

 four members, as noted above, particular mention of whom 

 will be found in another part of the report, as will also the 

 names of those members who have retired from active service. 



As in previous years, it is a pleasure to record that through 

 the good offices of friends of the institution, employment has 



4 



