1922.] International Institute of Agriculture. 



291 



from it everything that was not of immediate practical value 

 and current interest, while at the same time this would enable 

 it to be sold more cheaply. This does not mean that the in- 

 formation would cease to be issued but merely that it could 

 without loss be included either in the Statistical Year Book or 

 in a half-yearly publication. In the same way it was decided 

 that the Bulletin of Technical and Economic Information now 

 issued monthly could advantageously be altered in form and 

 published as a quarterly review. 



The satisfactory working out of the suggestions made at this 

 Meeting in regard to the form of the publications is of vital 

 importance to the future well-being of the Institute as it is in 

 practice only through its publications that the Institute can 

 appeal to the world and hence to the Governments by which it 

 is supported. A development in the sale and popularity of its 

 publications will be the strongest ground on which to base that 

 demand for a permanent increase in its revenue which is a 

 consequence of the decreased purchasing power of money. 



It should, however, be borne in mind that much of the 

 Institute's work must necessarily be gratuitous. The most strik- 

 ing example is found in the Statistical Bureau where the essential 

 information obtained in the form of crop forecasts and crop 

 yields is and must be distributed free through the Press. While 

 in this way one of the main purposes for which the Institute 

 was established is fulfilled, the benefits achieved cannot be pre- 

 cisely traced and are certainly not indicated by measuring the 

 sale of the Bulletins or other publications. 



That the Institute is well worth the small contributions made 

 by the adhering Governments can hardly be questioned. At the 

 present rate of exchange, the total cost expressed in English 

 money is less than £40,000 per annum, towards which the 

 British Government contributes only £3,200. In return, apart 

 from the general and specialised information placed at the dis- 

 posal of the agricultural and commercial public, the Institute 

 actually provides much information, particularly in the direc- 

 tion of international statistics, which would otherwise have to 

 be prepared by each Government separately at a far greater cost. 



One decision reached at this Meeting which is of interest to 

 English speaking countries was the adoption of English as one 

 of the official languages of the Institute. There can be little 

 doubt that this will tend to improve the position of the Institute 

 in the eyes of the Anglo-Saxon world. 



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