International Agricultural Institute. 



on either side by giving six months' notice in advance. As 

 regards the Staff below the grade of Heads of Branches, the 

 rule always obtains that those officials are not definitely 

 appointed until after a period of six months' probation. The 

 following appointments were made on the understanding 

 indicated above : — Three Heads of Divisions and six Heads 

 of Branches, selected from seven different countries, during 

 the month of February ; and seven officials of various grades 

 during the period between February and June. The majority 

 of these higher officials joined their posts during the month of 

 April. 



Work of the Permanent Committee. 



The preparation of the scheme of technical work occupied 

 the Committee during the months of May and June. It 

 consisted of two principal parts, viz. : — (i) a Report on the 

 organisation in each country of the official departments 

 bearing on the work of the Institute and the results which 

 will be obtained therefrom (this inquiry was to be made during 

 the second quarter of 1909); and (2) the inauguration, as 

 from the 1st January, 1910, of a periodical service of informa- 

 tion on subjects selected as suitable in the preliminary 

 inquiry. 



It was not possible at the outset to determine the number 

 of officials who would be required, and the qualifications 

 which they should possess. The Permanent Committee 

 therefore decided, as a temporary measure and for the current 

 year only, to authorise the President of the Institute to make 

 arrangements with the Special Committee, in accordance 

 with Art. 42 of the Regulations, for the provisional engage- 

 ment of the Staff necessary. It is advisable to mention here 

 that this procedure gives to the Institute an additional safe- 

 guard as regards the choice of suitable persons, because 

 those who are engaged temporarily must, in case of their 

 appointment on the Staff, still remain on probation for six 

 months. 



As work progressed in the various Departments, the Per- 

 manent Committee completed the Statutes by revising the 

 Regulations relating to the internal procedure of the 

 Divisions, Library, &c. Subsequently, as the technical work 



